Dancing On The Edge
by Lee Davies
Summary: The last in the Dancing trilogy started with Jack and Sam VS Ballroom Bootcamp and continued in Dancing Through The Gate
1. The Trouble Begins

_Hello everyone...this is the last installment of my "Dancing" trilogy...hope you like it, and if you want to see Nick (the real Nick, not my idealized version of him) watch "Dancing With The Stars" starting September 12th on ABC! As always, please read and review so I know what you thought. Thanks!_

_Kinsah looked over the settlement before him with a sense of pride. His people were doing well for themselves in the 5 years since he had returned from visiting the earth people. He missed them all, especially Jack and Nik'las, and wondered idly howt hey were faring._

_Turning his attention back to the task before him, Kinsah picked up the bundle of sticks that he was gathering for the fire in his home tonight so his wife and child would not be cold, and turned to go back down the path when something off in the distance caught his eye. It gleamed like the metal he had seen on Earth and he frowned. There was nothing like that on Hanor and he wanted to know what it was._

_Throwing his bundle to the ground, he crept forward through the underbrush until he came to a good vantage point. What he beheld there made his eyes widen. There were Jaffa everywhere and a ship was on the ground._

"_Goa'uld." he growled low in his throat. The foul ones were back._

_Picking up his bundle hurridly, he raced back to the settlement. They might very well have another fight on their hands.  
_

Jack looked up his report and stretched. He had been promoted to general of the base last year when General Hammond had decided to retire and spend some more time with his granddaughters.

Looking at the picture on his desk, he smiled. Sam was holding their youngest son, 3 year old Nicholas George on her lap while 5 year old Grace Evelyn was standing beside her. The picture next to it was of Daniel, Janet, Cassie, and Michael Jon. Last on the end was the photo he had just received in the mail yesterday from Nick and Lena. They each had one of the 5 year old twins, Daniel Evan and Thomas Kinsah in their arms and they looked very happy.

It was still hard for him to believe that it had been 5 and a half years since the events of Ballroom Bootcamp, and Nick's short tenure with the SGC as an Ethnomusicologist. Children had been born and Cassie had graduated from UCLA as an astrophysicist, something that Sam had been very proud of her for.

In thinking about Nick's son Tommy and even Cassie, Jack was again reminded of young Kinsah. He would be about 24 now and the general wondered how he was getting along.

The phone next to his elbow rang and he answered it. "Hello, General O'Neill speaking."

"Hi honey."

"Hi yourself." he replied, smiling at the sound of his wife's voice.

"I was just calling to make sure you remember that it's your turn to pick up Grace from school today." Sam said.

"Okay. Thanks for reminding me, and I'll see you later. Love you."

"Love you too."

He hung up and made sure that Walter knew to interrupt whatever he was doing at 3 o'clock so he could go collect his daughter. She was smart like her mother and the teachers were currently discussing the possibility of having her skip a grade.

Promptly at 3, Walter poked his head into Jack's office and politely told him to get moving. Jack collected some of the never ending paperwork from his desk and shoved it into the beautiful black leather attaché case Sam had gotten him for Christmas last year as he headed out the door.

Waiting in the long line of cars parked outside Jefferson Elementary, Jack allowed himself the luxary of closing his eyes for a moment. He was almost asleep when a little voice called, "Daddy, wake up! I need you to unlock the doors for me."

He jerked himself upright, pressing the button on the door. Grace opened the door and placed her backpack careful on the seat before closing the door with a gusto that made her father wince as she climbed into the front seat beside him.

"Where's my hug?" he asked teasingly.

She leaned over and threw her arms around him, squeezing a tightly as her little arms would allow her to.

As he pulled out into traffic and made his way home, Grace chatted excitedly about her friends and what she'd done with the special lady that took her out for reading. He smiled fondly, looking at the girl whose features were a perfect blend of him and Sam.

_Without Nick and Lena, she wouldn't be here_ he thought to himself.

Pulling into the driveway, he turned off the engine and helped her get the sticky seatbelt out of the buckle. She again shut the car doors a little harder than he would have liked, but he didn't have the heart to yell at her.

Sam was waiting at the front door for him, little Nicky in her arms. He kissed her in greeting and took his son from her.

"Daddy." he said happily, planting a big kiss on Jack's cheek.

"How's my Nicky?" he asked, carrying the boy into the Living Room with him.

"Good." The little boy replied, squirming. Jack immediately set him down and he scampered off to go play with his big sister.

As he entered the kitchen to help Sam with dinner, he said suddenly, "You know, I was thinking about Nick and Lena today…"

Sam looked up from chopping the carrots and replied thoughtfully, "Actually, so was I. Do you want to give them a call or something?"

Jack shrugged as he took the knife from her and picked up a carrot. "I've been thinking about it, but I don't want to seem nosy or bothersome….maybe I can drop Nick an e-mail later. That seems a little less intrusive."

Sam shook her head as she turned to the stove and got the water boiling in a pan. Since discovering Jack was an English major, she was still a little taken aback to hear him use words like "intrusive" and "bothersome" in his everyday speech.

The family was sitting down to dinner when the special "red phone" rang. Jack's eyes met Sam's across the table in silent apology before he rose to take the call.

"Why do they always call Daddy at dinner?" Grace asked, eating her soup.

"Because they know that Daddy disobeys his diet so they're trying to keep him from eating." Sam replied, a grin on her face.

Grace giggled as Jack's distinctive growl could be heard from the kitchen. He came back in a few moments later looking very grave.

"Jack, what is it?" Sam asked, concerned.

"Kinsah just came through the gate with his sister…he was beaten within an inch of his life, and before he lost conciousness, he said one word… "Goa'uld". I'm needed at the base."

She nodded. "I hope he's okay."

"I hope so too…he's a great boy."


	2. Here Comes Nick

_Here's the second chapter...enjoy!_

Jack drove a little faster than he should have to Cheyenne Mountain, but he wanted to know what was going on as soon as possible. Daniel met him at the elevator and they rode down together.

"How's he doing?"

Daniel gave him a weak smile. "Better, but his sister is still really upset."

He nodded understandingly. "Gotta be tough for her when her brother's been hurt and she's been dragged off to a place where she doesn't know anybody…"

The archaeologist nodded. "In a way, I wish Nick was still here. She remembers him better and liked him pretty well."

This made Jack smile. It appeared that Nick's considerable charms knew no galactic bounds. "Maybe he'd be up for a little consulting job…" he mused.

Daniel stood up straighter. "I'll call him."

The elevator opened, and Jack turned to go to the infirmary. "See ya later, Danny."

"Bye Jack."

Nick Kosovich, meanwhile, was having a heated discussion with his wife. "Honey, I WILL go back to Australia eventually…just not right now!"

Lena looked at him coolly. "Why not? I checked the calendar and we've got nothing urgent booked for the next 4 months."

As he was trying to come up with something to refute this extremely logical argument, the phone rang beside his elbow. Trying unsuccessfully to disguise his considerable relief at the timing of this call, he picked it up swiftly.

"Hello, Nick Kosovich." he said politely.

"Hey Nick, it's Daniel."

"Dan! How are you?" he replied, looking over a Lena, who smiled.

There was a sigh on the other end and Nick immediately knew something was going on.

"Dan, it's obvious something has happened…care to fill me in?" the dancer urged gently.

"Kinsah came through the gate about and hour ago with his sister, Rihana…he was beaten almost to death and he said something about a Goa'uld before he passed out. His sister is freaking out because she's on a strange planet, her brother is hurt, and the only person she even remotely knows well is you…" Daniel told him.

Nick's eyes widened. "When do you need me there?" he asked.

"ASAP. If you can make it, we can book you for the 8 o'clock leaving JFK."

Looking down at his watch, he said, "I've got enough time to make that. See you in a few hours, Dan."

Daniel said goodbye, and Nick hung up the phone. Lena looked at him questioningly. He gave her the short version of what had happened, and she immediately started packing…for everyone.

He tried to protest but she firmly told him that since they didn't know how long this was going to take, they were all coming with him. The twins were overjoyed at the prospect of seeing their "aunts and uncles" again and finally Nick had to tell them to be a little quieter or they were going to get left in New York.

Once everyone was in the car and the bags safely stowed, Nick floored it and got over to JFK in record time. Lena was about to buy tickets for herself and the boys, but it turned out that Daniel had already taken care of that.

"I think he knows us a little too well…" Nick observed dryly as they boarded the plane. She laughed at this and agreed with him.

They split the twins up, Thomas sitting with his dad and Daniel with his mother. As he showed Thomas something out the window, Nick hoped that the next timed he got on a plane, he'd be going somewhere that he needed to go…

Daniel and Jack were awaiting them at the baggage claim in Denver and both of them were glad to see the twins again as well.

"How did you know to book seats for all of us?" Nick asked curiously as he and Daniel got the bags put into the back of the vehicle Jack had commandeered from one of the personnel.

Daniel grinned. "Janet said if it was her, there was no way in HELL I'd be going on my own, so I figured the same most likely held true for Lena."

"Oh, you hit the nail on the head there." Nick laughed before climbing into the backseat next to Thomas.

"Were you two speaking evil about me again?" Lena asked cheekily.

"Oh no…we're too smart to do that." Daniel shot back.

As they began the drive to Colorado Springs, Jack had to smile. It was good to see his friend again, even if it was under less than stellar circumstances.

Upon reaching the city limits, the twins and Lena were taken to Jack's house where Cassie (newly graduated and trying to figure out what she wanted to do with herself) had come over from Janet's house to assist with the extra kids so Sam and Lena could do a little catching up. Daniel and Jack immediately drove off with Nick to base so he could calm Rihana down and talk with Kinsah, once he was feeling up to it.

Nick rode in the elevator down to the SGC feeling a slight sense of déjà vu. It had been a while since he'd made this trip.

Emerging at the bottom, he followed Jack and Daniel down the twisting corridors until they came to the doctor's domain. Entering the infirmary, Nick smiled a warm hello to Janet before taking a seat beside Kinsah. Rihana looked extremely pleased to see him and he greeted her in the dance code.

The young man had changed over the years since Nick had last seen him. His hair was lighter, a result of the sunlight and his face had a few more lines on it.

As he stirred, Nick smiled. "Hello there sleepy head." he said softly.

Kinsah turned his head and blinked in confusion before grinning. "Nik'las." he said.

"That would be me." Nick replied dryly as both Rihana and her brother chuckled.

"Been too long."

"Yeah, it has." the dancer agreed.

Rihana looked at Kinsah and said, "Tell Nik'las what happen."

Her brother shot her a look but the girl remained firm. "Tell what happen or I tell."

Nodding slowly, Kinsah turned to Nick. "I out gathering sticks for fire so wife and son not cold. When went to go back, saw something shiny, like metal here." he said, thumping the bed beneath him.

"Went to go get better look, and saw Jaffa…many Jaffa, and ship. Big ship. Knew that Goa'uld was there and needed to warn people. Got back too late. He was already in village, telling people that he come to protect them but I know better." the young man spat.

"Village elders not pleased that I speak against "new god" so I banished from home. Wife disowned me, so I took sister and son, and ran. Was caught and son was taken from me, then they took sticks and hit me. Rihana hide nearby and help get to stargate. Came to get help."

"We'll do whatever we can to help you, Kin…that's a promise." Nick told him softly. Jack nodded his agreement and the young man seemed to relax a little.

As they left the infirmary, Jack got on the phone to Walter. "Walter, have Lt. Harris meet me in my office."

1st Lt. Liam Harris was sitting in his bunk reading a book when one of his roommates stuck his head in the door. "Hey Harris, O'Neill wants you in his office."

Groaning slightly, Liam got to his feet and walked up to General O'Neill's office only to find Nick Kosovich waiting there for him.

"Nick!" Liam greeted happily.

"Good to see you again Liam." Nick replied, shaking his hand warmly.

Jack allowed them a moment, and then got down to business. He explained what had happened to Kinsah, and then told Liam to take a small team and do some recon on the Goa'uld so they knew exactly what they were dealing with.

"Yes sir." Liam replied, getting to his feet and tossing off a crisp salute before leaving the room.

The two older men watched him go. "Cassie is home again, right?" Nick asked an evil gleam in his eye.

"Yes…why?" Jack asked puzzled.

"I think Liam would be PERFECT for her. All we have to do is get her to meet him…"


	3. Recon With Liam

_Here's chapter 3 for your reading pleasure...be sure to review!_

Liam got one of his fellow teammates from SG9, Alan Barrows and then decided that another good person to have for a recon mission would be Teal'c.

Approaching the large alien with some sense of trepidation, Liam squared his shoulders and said, "Teal'c?"

The Jaffa turned. "Yes?"

"I'm leading a small recon mission to Kinsah's planet in order to gather some information about what we're going to be dealing with here. I was wondering if you would accompany me and Lt. Barrows." Liam told him.

Teal'c bowed his head to the young officer. "I would be pleased to be of assistance. What is your name? I regret to say that I do not readily know it."

"Lt. Liam Harris." he replied.

"I shall meet you in the gate room in 10 minutes, Liam Harris."

Nodding his agreement to this, Liam went and suited up as did Barrows. Teal'c was waiting for them, staff weapon in hand.

"Glad he's on our side." Barrows whispered as the dialing sequence began.

Liam silently agreed with him and stepped through the gate.

It was dark and Liam switched on his night vision goggles. It appeared that the area around the gate itself was quiet, but he knew all too well how quickly things could change. Signaling Barrows to go left and Teal'c to go right, Liam went right down the middle of the path, looking this way and that way.

They made it to the outskirts of Kinsah's village before they observed the ceremony going on. It appeared that some of the older girls were being offered to the "god" as wives.

Liam made careful note of the number of Jaffa that were posted there before signaling a retreat to the forest. Once there, the small group swung around and took the path that lead off into the deeper woods.

Coming out of the tree line, Liam saw the same sight that had made Kinsah come to them. Barrows let out a small gasp from beside him and he had no idea what Teal'c was thinking at the moment.

There were at least 200 Jaffa below them and they were building something rather large. His heart in his throat, Liam signaled them back to the gate.

On the other side, Liam, Barrows, and Teal'c went to see General O'Neill.

"It's bad, sir. The Goa'uld had about 15 Jaffa with him in the village and then probably about another 200 or so out in the forests where Kinsah was. It looks to me like they're building a Goa'uld fortress." Liam reported.

Jack looked at his friend. "Teal'c?" he asked.

Teal'c raised an eyebrow in a way that reminded Liam of a shrug. "Liam Harris has assessed the situation well. I have nothing further to add."

Nodding in satisfaction, Jack looked at Liam. "Harris, I want you and Teal'c to gather all the commanders of the various SG Teams. You're going to brief them on the current situation."

Liam's jaw almost hit the floor and Barrows looked at him in admiration. "Me brief the commanders, sir?"

"Yep, and if anybody's got a problem with that, they can take it up with me."

"Yes sir." Liam replied before departing to complete his task.

Nick was talking with Kinsah before Jack came down to tell them that Liam had completed his recon mission and informed them of what he'd discovered.

"That's a hell of a lot of Jaffa…" Nick reflected.

"You're telling me!" Jack snorted in reply.

"We fight them?" Kinsah asked.

"I think we're going to have to, as much as I really don't want to engage the Goa'uld when there are so many innocent people around." Jack sighed.

"No offense Jack, but I really don't envy your position right now…" Nick said softly.

"Believe me Nick, there are some days when I really don't envy my position either."

The men arrived home late, well after all of the children were in bed. The situation was explained to Lena, Cassie, and Sam, who were both aghast at the news.

"But Kinsah's doing all right?" Cassie asked urgently.

"He's doing quite well. He's awake and on the mend. His sister wasn't hurt and she'd beginning to settle in a little." Nick replied, yawning slightly.

"I don't know about you people, but I'm ready for bed." Jack said.

Saying their goodnights to each other, the O'Neills and Kosovichs headed upstairs while Cassie drove herself home.


	4. The Identity of the God

_All of the information that Nick gives in this chapter (except about what the Goa'uld would have done, of course) is accurate to the best of my knowledge and any mistakes therein are solely my own. For those who want to know how I know of this stuff, see Nick's little speech at the end of the chapter. As always, please read and review!_

The next day, Jack had SG teams 8 and 9 go to Kinsah's world to do some more recon work and see if there were any clues as to who this Goa'uld could possibly be while Nick was able to talk with Rihana and Kinsah both to gain a more complete picture of how this "god" had come to power.

While they were describing the headdress the god wore, something nagged at Nick's mind and he excused himself to go find Daniel.

"Dan?" he asked distractedly as he entered the archaeologist's office, "can I use your laptop for something?"

"Sure Nick." Daniel replied, seeing the faraway look in his friend's eye. "Are you getting close to something?"

"I might be." Nick replied as he sat down on the chair and pulled Daniel's laptop toward him. Opening Internet Explorer, Nick quickly went to a website about Egypt's 18th Dynasty.

"You're thinking Egyptian?" Daniel asked skeptically.

"I am, and here's why." Nick answered, his eyes scanning the information in front of him.

"While Kinsah and Rihana were telling me about the clothes and the headdress this "god" was wearing, something about the description stuck out to me…I know I've either seen something similar or know something, but it's just out of my reach so hopefully, I can jog my memory."

"Hmmm…" Daniel murmured, his mind busily working as well. He had only sat there in contemplation before Nick leapt out of the chair and yelled, "I've got it! I know who it is!"

"What? Who?" Daniel demanded.

Nick turned the laptop toward him and pointed at the top of the screen. There was a picture of a relief wall from a tomb and Daniel leaned in to get a better look.

"They said there was a large, flat circle on his crown, and the circle had small hands reaching down from it." Nick told him breathlessly. "I knew I'd seen something like it before, and now I remember what it is…you know the story of Akhenaten, right?"

"I know the general jist of it, but you seem more up to date on it than I am." Daniel admitted, looking slightly ashamed. "With all of my work here, I don't have much time to catch up on everything that's going on back here on earth."

Nick chuckled before saying, "They actually found the city where Akhenaten moved after he left Thebes and the Aten is portrayed as a sun. disc…with hands reaching down from it."

Daniel froze. "So you think we're dealing with Aten?"

"It almost makes a weird sense…" Nick mused.

"How so?"

The Australian paced the small room. "All of the other Goa'uld, from what you've told me, basically had their planet that they held and apart from some squabbles, left each other alone. However, when Akhenaten proclaimed that there was only one true god, he would have been stepping on Ra's toes…"

"…so once Aten had gotten Egypt for a while and his first host died, he knew he would have to get out of there quickly." Daniel finished.

"Now, with most of his old opponents out of the way, Aten might have figured that this was his chance to be head honcho and decided to start with a small planet before moving on to bigger and better things, so to speak." Nick added.

"We need to brief Jack and the others." Daniel said, standing up and book marking the website on his laptop.

"Good luck!" Nick said cheerfully.

There was a small smile on Daniel's face. "Oh no Nick, I'm not giving the briefing…you are.

Jack, Sam, Janet, and the various heads of the SG teams still on base were waiting patiently in the briefing room when Nick and Daniel came in.

"Any time you're ready Danny Boy." Jack said, getting a pen out and preparing to doodle.

"Actually, since Dr. Kosovich is more up to date on this particular dynasty than I am, he will be conducting the briefing today instead of me." Daniel replied, sounding somewhat smug.

Several pairs of shocked eyes turned to Nick, who was making sure his small slide show was ready. Once everything was prepared to his satisfaction, he turned his attention to the small audience in front of him.

"While Kinsah and Rihana told me about the headdress that the Goa'uld wore, something nagged me at the back of my mind and upon further investigation I believe that I have discovered the identity of the Goa'uld we are dealing with."

"Do tell." Jack replied dryly.

Nick pegged him with a withering glare before going on. "In Egypt's 18th Dynasty, a king named Amenhotep IV came to power. However, he had a very radical idea for the time; he believed that there was only one supreme god, as opposed to the myriads of deities that his people had worshipped for centuries before him. He even changed his name to Akhenaten."

Hitting the clicker Daniel had given him, Nick showed them the relief from the tomb of Amenhotep with the sun disc and the hands reaching down from the heavens.

"This shows what they believed Aten was; a sun god almost like Ra but Aten was shown as a disc with hands of light reaching down to illuminate the land."

Taking a laser pen out of his pocket, Nick highlighted the disc and said, "Kinsah described the headdress as having a "circle with many hands reaching down". In my humble opinion, that sounds very much like a description of Aten."

Shutting off the laser pen and the picture, he took a seat and looked at all of them seriously. "Dr. Jackson and myself have theorized that once Aten's host died, Ra and the other gods whose territory he had encroached upon were going to come after him so he left immediately after Akhenaten's death, for without his greatest supporter still alive to command his people to obey, the Egyptian people headed straight back to the old ways and almost all trace of Akhenaten and his god were obliterated."

Jack looked up at Nick. "Why is this…Akhen-whatever his name is so important?"

"Ever hear of King Tut?" Nick shot back.

"Yeah…who hasn't?"

"Akhenaten is King Tut's dad."

"Ah…I see." Jack replied, sounding somewhat chastised. Sam hid a smile and asked, "No offense Nick, but how do you know all this stuff?"

He smiled somewhat sheepishly. "I watch a lot of things about Egypt on the Discovery Channel and I've been to about 6 different Egypt exhibits in museums, not to mention all the books I've read…"

"Well Daniel, you might lose you job!" Janet joked.

He made a face at her and Nick chuckled.

"No fear of that happening…I may have this dynasty over him, but he's got everything else!"

The briefing was closed and Nick gathered up his things before heading out. As he did so, he horked the pen that Jack had left lying on the table. No sense to leave a good pen out in plain sight!


	5. We Heart The Tok'ra

_Here's chapter 5! Enjoy and please review._

SG teams 8 and 9 returned from their surveillance expedition quite pleased with themselves because they'd been able to shoot some footage of the "god" and both Nick and Daniel were anxious to see if their theory was correct.

Hooking up the video camera to the VCR, the two men seated themselves in front of it and fast forwarded to the middle of the tape where a man emerged from a special "temple" that had been constructed for him to stay in. Both Daniel and Nick were overjoyed to see that the headdress was indeed a replica of the relief from the tomb in Amarna. They now knew for certain that they were dealing with the heretic god of Egypt's history; Aten.

The pair raced up to Jack's office to tell him the news and he immediately told Nick to start preparing some kind of briefing that he could give to the Tok'ra. After agreeing to this, he turned to Daniel. "Who are the Tok'ra?" he asked as they began walking back down to the office where they were both working.

"They're kinda like the Goa'uld, except that they don't try to take over planets and make people their slaves." Daniel explained. "Sam's father Jacob is a Tok'ra host and I imagine that he'll be on his way here once Jack contacts him and tells him that we've got a Goa'uld on the loose."

"So I take it that the Tok'ra are our allies." Nick said out loud.

"Yes and no…we help each other out when the occasion calls for it, but Jack had a pretty bad experience with a Tok'ra named Kanan and let's just say that he's not exactly going to be running for president of the "We Heart The Tok'ra" fan club."

Nick snorted at this and rolled his eyes as he entered Daniel's office and began writing out something he could tell these…people for lack of a better term. He was still bent over his desk when a plate of food was placed down in front of him. There was a steaming hot ham and cheese sandwich that was making his mouth water along with some potato chips and something that looked suspiciously like root beer.

Reaching out for it, he smiled when a familiar hand swatted his arm away. "Aren't you going to tell me hello?" Lena asked, her voice sounding playfully put out with him.

Rising to his full height of 6 foot 2, Nick gazed deeply into her eyes and replied, "Hello there Gorgeous…what's a beauty like you doing in a place like this?"

She started to laugh but was effectively silenced by her husband's kiss. "I think I should bring you lunch more often." she said, laying her head on his shoulder and snuggling up to him.

"I think you should too…might get him out of his books once in a while." Daniel said from behind them.

They turned and both glared at him which only served to heighten his amusement at the current situation. Nick grinned evilly and before Daniel could ask what he was plotting now, something pinched his butt-hard.

Yelping in surprise, he whirled around to see Janet go sauntering down the hall. His cheeks burning, Daniel wasn't at all surprise to hear Nick and Lena both snickering from behind him.

"Bet you two think this is really funny, don't you." he said.

"Actually, I think I'd go for the term hilarious myself…what about you, Darling?" Nick said.

Lena pretended to consider the question carefully before answering, "I think the term that I would employ here would be something along the lines of "turnabout is fair play"…"

Daniel growled at them before heading off down the hall to the infirmary. Janet was going to get a little surprise this afternoon…


	6. Daniel's Revenge

_Thanks to everyone who is reading and reviewing this, and I hope you enjoy chapter 6...I dedicate this one to my dear Woobie (you know who you are, wink wink...)_

Once Lena had left Nick to eat his lunch and finish up his mini "lecture" for the Tok'ra, the ethnomusicologist stretched his arms out wide and decided to take a walk down to the infirmary to check on Kinsah.

He was sitting up in bed enjoying an animated discussion with Cassie, who had dropped by to see him and he waved at Nick as the dancer entered.

"Hi Nik'las."

"Hello to you too, Kinsah." Nick replied, pulling up a chair and sitting down beside Cassie.

"Any news on Goa'uld?" the young man asked immediately.

Nick nodded and both Cassie and Kinsah leaned forward, looking at him expectantly. "His name is Aten and we believe he lived on this world many thousands of years ago."

"Another Egyptian?" Cassie demanded.

"That was about Daniel's reaction as well." Nick chuckled. "Yes, another Egyptian, but instead of co-ruling with the others, he wanted the whole ball of wax. He tried to set himself up as the one supreme god of Egypt and needless to say, once the pharaoh who supported him died, he decided to get of dodge quickly."

"So why is he making trouble on Kinsah's planet all of a sudden?" she asked curiously.

"Daniel and I theorized that once he found out most of his other opposition was now dead, thanks to SG1, he would finally be able to be the head honcho of it all. We believe he's starting with a smaller planet so he can have a base of operations to launch his other attacks from. Unfortunately Kinsah, your planet would just be the beginning for him so we're going to do whatever it takes to stop him there before he can go anywhere else."

Cassie sighed theatrically. "I love it when you talk military."

Kinsah let out a shout of laughter as Nick got Cassie in a headlock and proceeded to give her a through noogie.

"Nick! Stop!" Cassie wailed, trying to break free of his firm grip.

"You may be a college graduate, but you'll always be my little Cassie." Nick told her with his most charming smile, finally releasing her.

She tried to glare at him, but failed miserably. "You do NOT play fair." She pouted, sitting back down on the edge of Kinsah's bed.

"Never claimed to!" he shot back, sounding pleased with himself.

As Cassie rolled her eyes, Kinsah smiled and shook his head. Rihana entered the room just then and came over to sit by her brother. "Nik'las know who Goa'uld is." Kinsah informed her.

Rihana looked at Nick with no sign of surprise at this at all. "Of course Nik'las know…he smart." she replied simply.

Cassie tried to keep from laughing at the deep blush that spread over Nick's face. Even with his tanned Australian skin, she could tell that he was currently a rich crimson in color.

"Umm…thanks." He said finally.

Before anyone could do anything, Daniel Jackson came racing into the room with an angry Janet Frasier on his heels. "Daniel, your butt is MINE!" she yelled.

"I thought it was already." Nick stage whispered to Cassie, who giggled. This earned him a glare from the resident needle wielder and gave Daniel enough time to race into her office and lock the door.

"What did he do, Mom?" Cassie asked in an attempt to distract her mother.

"He put Fire sauce in my yogurt!" Janet fumed.

"Well, the cheeky little bugger! What on earth could have deserved something like that?" Nick responded, nothing but sincerity in his voice.

Janet looked at as though she was deciding wither or not she was being mocked before she said slowly, "I think it was probably his revenge for me pinching him on the butt earlier today."

"Mom!" Cassie cried, absolutely scandalized. "And I thought Sam and Jack were bad!"

"Nobody as bad as Cassie Mom and Dan'el." Kinsah piped up.

Nick cracked up as Cassie looked like she was going to be sick and Janet pegged kinsah with a fierce glare that didn't faze the young man in the slightest.

"You know, he's got a point…" the dancer mused.

Dr. Frasier rolled her eyes. "Oh yes Nick, and you're the angel Gabriel incarnate." She replied sarcastically.

"Glad you noticed!" he said, a cheeky note in his voice.

Groaning, Janet went to prep an area for examinations later that afternoon and Daniel emerged from her office.

"I think this is going to be the part where they make up…and it is also my cue to leave!" Nick announced, rising to his feet.

"I think I'll go with you." Cassie added.

"I not stay here!" Rihana told them.

Kinsah looked at them sorrowfully. "You leave me here alone?" he asked.

Before Janet could say anything, Nick found a wheelchair and pulled it over to Kinsah's bed. "Come along children, let's leave so the mice can play…"

Chucking a rolled up bandage at Nick's head, she allowed herself a chuckle. The dancer ducked and her daughter caught the bandage, tossing it back to her mother before going out the door.

"Now…where were we?" Daniel asked seductively, putting an arm around her.

"I don't know where YOU were, but I was getting my exam rooms ready." She replied loftily, putting a slight sway in her walk as she turned away from him.

She smiled as she heard him groan loudly before departing. _Two can play this game, buddy…_ she thought.


	7. Cassie Meets Liam

_Okay...sorry I haven't updated this for so long, but Rose Stetson and I decided to turn this into more of a collaborative effort, so now that we've gotten things pretty much ironed out, updates should be more regular. Thanks for reading and please review!

* * *

_

Nick got onto his cell phone as he drove the rental car toward the O'Neill house.

"O'Neills." Cassie's voice greeted over the telephone.

"Cassie, it's me. Nick."

"Nick! How're you doing?"

"I'm fine. Hey, I just wanted to let you all know that we're bringing Kinsah and his sister, Rihana over."

"We?"

"Yeah, my friend…Liam Harris."

"Oh. Well, that's great. I'll tell Sam and Lena."

"We would appreciate it."

"Sure, we'll be waiting."

"Good-bye."

"Bye, Nick."

He hung up the phone and Liam looked over. "Who was that?"

"Oh, her name's Cassie. She's Janet's daughter."

"Janet?"

"Dr. Frasier."

"Oh. I knew she had a daughter, I just didn't know her name."

Nick studied the young man, trying to repress the gleam that he knew was shining in his eyes. "In fact, she's about your age…"

"Oh, don't…" He began, noticing the selfsame gleam in the older man's eye. "I'm not going to be set up on a blind date with this girl…"

"It won't be a BLIND date." Nick pointed out. "You'll be meeting her in a few minutes…she's at Jack and Sam's."

Kinsah chuckled. "You like Cassie. Good friend."

"Thanks, Kin." Nick said, grateful for the intercession on his behalf.

"No pressure…I'll ask her out IF and WHEN I choose to."

"Fair enough." Nick said, returning his attention to his driving.

* * *

Lena, Sam and Cassie heard the door open as they walked inside with Grace, Nicky, Danny, Tommy, and Michael in tow. 

"Lena, I'm home!" Nick called, allowing his accent to float to the surface, sounding like an Australian version of Ricky Ricardo.

Lena rolled her eyes as Cassie and Sam laughed.

Almost instantly, the kids ran into the living room, swarming around Nick and clamoring for hugs. He chuckled. "Careful, give us a little bit of space."

As the kids allowed Nick and a young man help Kinsah get to the couch, Cassie leaned over to Sam, in awe. "Who's that?"

Sam smiled. "That's Liam Harris."

"THAT'S Liam Harris?" She asked, her jaw almost dropping, literally and figuratively.

"Yes."

"Wow."

Sam nudged the young woman. "Why don't you go say hi?"

"Me?"

"Before the kids swarm…" Lena encouraged.

Unfortunately, her caution came to late. Liam soon had Nicky on his knee and Grace sitting next to him, her eyes glued to his face in wide wonder.

"Grace swears she's going to marry him someday." Sam said, chuckling.

"I can see why." Cassie said, unconsciously voicing her thoughts.

"Cassie?" Sam asked, trying to probe the young woman's thoughts.

"Earth to Cassie." Lena said, moving over to the other side of her, and making rapid motions in front of her eyes to deduce her alertness.

"I'm sorry, Lena, did you need something?"

Lena and Sam exchanged knowing looks as Liam walked over. "Colonel Carter, Lena…"

Sam chuckled. "It's Sam, Liam…when we're not on the base, it's Sam."

The young lieutenant blushed. "Sorry…it's a little hard to get used to that."

"It's okay."

"And who's this lovely woman?" Liam asked, turning to Cassie.

"I'm Cassandra Fraiser." She said, trying to calm her racing heart.

"Cassandra? Nick's told me a lot about you."

Lena and Sam discreetly left the two, and Lena huddled close to Sam. "I'll bet Nick's told him a lot about Cassie…he thinks they'd be perfect for one another."

"Well, he's not often wrong, now is he?" Sam asked, referencing the matchmaking that both of the Kosoviches had done on their behalf.

"No, not really." She admitted.

* * *

"So, you're a lieutenant?" Cassie asked, motioning to his fatigues. 

"Yes. First class."

"Good for you."

"Thanks. And you?"

"I don't have a rank." She said, a teasing smile pulling at the corners of her mouth.

He chuckled. "Okay…I guess I was asking for that. No, what do you do?"

"Currently, I'm still a student. I'm working on a Master's program."

"In?"

"Astrophysics."

"Wow."

She shrugged. "Not really."

"Not really? I mean…you have to be brilliant to be an astrophysicist!"

"Not exactly." She began. "Sam's brilliant, and so, everyone that knows her expects that we're all a group of geniuses. She's revolutionary in the realm of astrophysics, so she's not exactly the norm…we're good with numbers and thinking outside the box."

"Sometimes that's all it takes." He said, smiling at her modesty.

"So why did you go into the Air Force?"

"I couldn't pay for college."

"Are you going to college after your tour is done?" She asked, having known a few people who had gone to college by route of the armed forces.

"No."

"Really?" She asked, surprised.

"Yes. I'm twenty-seven, and I expect that the Stargate Program will ensure relative job security."

She nodded. "Are you sure?"

"Well, I don't anticipate galactic peace any time soon."

She chuckled. "I guess you have a point there."

Suddenly, their attention was diverted to where Kinsah and Rihana were telling the kids some stories from their home planet. The kids were enthralled by the imagery employed by the two aliens, particularly Rihana.

"Now there's a girl for you."

Cassie looked over at the young man who watched Rihana with a small smile of amusement on his face. "What do you mean?"

"She's quiet but she sure is feisty."

Cassie was still trying to determine what he was trying to say about her. "Feisty, huh?"

"Yeah. She…well, I guess she's the only who can keep Kinsah in line."

"And she's very beautiful."

"Yeah. But not really my type."

"Your type?"

"Nah…I like her, but, I don't know…I like girls with spunk, but I guess I'm kind of afraid that she would run over the top of me like an eighteen wheeler."

"Oh really? So…have anybody in mind?"

He looked at her, and for a moment, she wasn't sure if she caught a gleam in his eye. They were beautiful eyes, she pondered for a moment.

"Grace is still underage."

By the time she had registered his words, he was sending an amused smile in her direction. "Something on your mind?" He asked, eyes twinkling.

She bit her lip. "Well, you caught me, I'm a little on the slow side." She said, covering for her sudden and unexpected attraction to him.

"As far as astrophysicists go…"

She gave him a sheepish grin. "Okay…so, I'm not exactly slow, just…"

"Preoccupied?" He asked, still gently teasing her.

She blushed, and he chuckled. As he did so, he studied her. She was lovely with her brown hair, streaked with natural auburn highlights, her blue eyes, and her enchanting smile.

She noticed his sudden change in mood. "Something on your mind?"

"In all honesty, if I had to choose someone who fit my 'type,' it would probably be someone very much like you."

She blushed as she looked away. Had he really just admitted that he shared her attraction? Was he alluding to the possibility of a first date?

"I'm sorry, I've made you uncomfortable…" He stammered, feeling more than a little nervous.

"No…it's not that…I just…"

"Then will you have dinner with me on Thursday night?"

"That's tomorrow …"

"I know. I have a mission that requires me to be on the base on Friday morning for a briefing…I leave an hour or two after the briefing."

"Oh…"

"Look, if it's too soon…"

"No, it's fine."

They both smiled nervously before Liam cleared his throat. "So…I'll pick you up at six-thirty?"

"Sounds great."

Suddenly, Liam turned back to her. "Where should I pick you up?"

She smiled. "Here is fine. I'm sticking around to help watch the kids while Sam and Jack are at the base."

"That's nice of you."

"Well, it's the least I can do."

"For what?"

"Excuse me?"

"It's the least you could do…that's usually a term that people use in reference to something that someone did for them that they could never repay." He prodded.

"Right. Well, Sam saved my life when I was ten years old."

"Wow."

"I guess we bonded, but she saved me by putting herself in extreme danger."

"Well, I guess it's only natural."

"What do you mean?" She asked, surprised by the turn that the conversation had taken.

"Think about it…she's in the Air Force, and- not to toot my own horn or anything- we do risk our lives everyday to bring back technology that may save Earth one day."

She nodded, a distinctly melancholy note in her voice that was almost reminiscent of the sorrow she still harbored for the destruction of her people.

"Something wrong?"

"No…everything's fine."

"Are you sure, 'cuz you seem a little sad?"

"Really."

He sat back, stretching out on the couch as he studied her more closely. She looked around her, nervously. "Something wrong?"

"I don't know…" He said, gazing at her. "I guess there's just something…ethereal…about you. I can't put my finger on it."

"Ethereal?"

"Hey, just because I'm in the Air Force, doesn't mean I don't know anything."

"I wasn't suggesting that it did." She said, smiling. "What would you have done if you hadn't gone into the Air Force?"

"Probably music education. I play the violin."

"Really? I would like to hear it."

"Unfortunately, I don't have a violin anymore."

"Why not?"

"We had some tough times when I was about sixteen, and I sold my violin so that we could put food on the table. We were never able to buy it back."

"Oh my gosh…"

He shrugged, brushing off his real feelings of guilt and longing. "C'est la vie, ya know?"

"You miss it."

He looked down at the ground, somewhat surprised that she could read him so easily. "Yeah. But my buddy, Alan, plays and sometimes, he lets me borrow his instrument."

"Well, that's nice of him."

"Yeah…" Suddenly, a tiny smile tugged at the corners of his lips. "I think he likes Rihana."

Cassie looked over at the young woman. "When did he meet her?"

"When she came through the Gate."

Cassie raised an eyebrow. "Cool."

"Yeah…those off-world girls…" He began, his mind wandering.

"What about us?" She asked, somewhat incensed at his response.

"Us?" He asked, the dreamy look disappearing from his eyes. "YOU are from off-world?"

Cassie swallowed. Never once in her entire life had she spilled the secret of her heritage, and now she had slipped. She closed her eyes in humiliation. Jack was going to kill her.

"No, I meant…girls in general…"

"I don't think so." He cornered.

"Look…you know that would be classified even if it was true…"

"And you're afraid that the General's going to get upset if he finds out you blabbed. It's okay…I won't tell him."

She smiled a grateful smile. "Thanks."

"But I had a feeling…I wasn't sure until now."

"Really?"

"Yeah…you're…well, I don't want to seem cliché, there's just something otherworldly about you."

Somehow, that was the best compliment that she had ever gotten in her entire life, and she felt like she was on top of the world.

* * *

"He knows." Sam said as she walked into the kitchen to find Jack grabbing a glass of orange juice. 

"Who knows what?"

"Liam knows that Cassie is from…Toronto."

"He does?" He asked, surprised as he tried to steal a glance at the young couple. "Cassie wouldn't have blabbed, would she?"

"She didn't have to, Jack. He knows."

"What? That doesn't even make any sense!"

Sam shook her head as she took her husband's glass of juice. "Thanks, hon."

He looked at his hand, still cupped as though around a glass and then at his wife who sauntered off, taking a sip of the nectar. "You're welcome…I guess." He said, shaking his head as he poured another glass of orange juice. "She tells me no beer around the kids, and what does she do? She takes the juice right out of my hands." He muttered to himself.

* * *

"Cassie? No hug?" Kinsah asked, pulling her away from Liam. 

"Kinsah, I'm sorry…" she stammered as she pulled the off-worlder into an embrace. "I…I saw that you were busy."

"Not busy for long time now." Kinsah said, motioning to the empty living room. "Nick and Jack play outside with children."

"I see."

"They good kids."

"Yes, they are." Cassie agreed as Lena and Sam joined them.

"Well, now that the party animals are outside, we can talk like civilized adults." Sam said, settling into the couch next to Rihana and Kinsah.

Cassie chuckled as she returned to her seat next to Liam. "So, Kinsah, how's your little Nicholas?"

He took a deep breath, and a look of emotional pain crossed his face. "He fine last I see him."

"How long has it been since you've seen him?" Sam asked, sympathy in her eyes.

"Too long."

"His wife and son with people." Rihana said, a similar sorrow in her voice.

"You couldn't get them out?" Cassie asked, surprised.

Liam and Sam shot her a look.

"Wife leave me. Son captured by goa'uld when I try to bring him here."

Sam paled, looking sick. "No…" She placed one hand over her stomach and another over her mouth.

"Sam, are you okay?" Lena asked, concerned.

Sam nodded quickly, but soon arose and hastened toward the bathroom. Cassie and Lena both stood and hurried to the bathroom from which the gagging sounds emanated. They stood there awkwardly as they heard her flush the toilet and then brush her teeth. Meanwhile, Liam stood and walked outside, getting Jack.

"Are you okay?" Cassie asked, as she and Lena helped the weak Sam back to her seat.

"I'm fine." She protested as Jack hurried into the house.

"Sam, are you feeling okay?"

She shook her head. "You throw up once and everyone is wondering how you're feeling. How do you think I'm feeling? Like I just threw up."

Jack took Lena's place and stroked Sam's hair. "Everyone understands if you need to go lie down for a few minutes. It's a lot to have who knows how many people in your house. And you didn't sleep very well last night."

She weakly nodded. "You're right, I'm…I'm not feeling very well."

Her words left everyone on edge; Sam just didn't admit that she wasn't feeling very well. If anything, she would protest until someone ordered her to get some rest…something Jack tried not to do anymore.

Liam had stayed outside with the kids and Nick came in, shortly after Sam had gone. "What happened?"

"Sam's not feeling well."

"She admitted that she's not feeling well?"

"I know…" Jack said, looking back down the hallway to where his wife lay sleeping.

"In all fairness, Jack, it was after Kinsah told us that the goa'uld took his son."

Jack's eyes widened as he regarded the younger man who still sat, feeling somewhat guilty that he had sent Sam away, ill.

"You lost your son?" Jack asked, feeling a certain empathy with the young man.

He nodded, soberly.

Nick's heart went out to Kinsah. He'd already lost his younger brother, and he couldn't even imagine losing one of his sons…and certainly not to the goa'uld who would do unspeakable things to the child in vengeance for what his father had done.

Suddenly, he felt his own stomach churn in nausea. As the father of two, he could only imagine how Sam, a mother of another two, had felt upon hearing that information. His six-foot and two-inch frame began to sway next to his wife and she looked up at him. "Are you all right?"

He nodded, tightening his embrace. "Yeah…that just…I'm fine."

She searched his face for any sign of deceit, but found none. She turned back to the group.

"What can we do?"

"Unfortunately, not much." Jack said, giving Kinsah a look of understanding and pain. He nodded in response, as if he'd expected that reaction. "Unless of course we can get the locals to renounce their 'god.'"

"Which, I take it, won't be easy." Nick translated.

"It isn't usually very easy. But we've managed to do it once or twice."

"How?" Rihana asked, simply.

"That's something that you'll have to talk to Daniel about when you get back to the base. I hate to make this visit have official connotations to it, but debriefing is at 0800 hours on Friday morning."

Suddenly, Cassie realized that Liam was going with SG-1. Wow, she thought to herself, he must have really proved himself. Jack was allowing a first lieutenant to accompany SG-1. But more than that, she felt her heart constrict as though she was scared about something. I hardly know the man, she thought, trying to stop the emotional reaction that showed no desire to end. But his gentle teasing and kind ways made her heart open to him in a way that she hadn't exactly been expecting…or that she necessarily wanted.


	8. The Date

_Greetings people...we're trying to get this one done, so don't kill us or hate us, ok? As always, read and review.

* * *

_

"Cassie, you're a nervous wreck." Sam chided as she, Janet, and Lena helped the young woman get ready for her date.

"Relax, it's just Liam." Lena said, with a slight wink to Sam. "It's not like he's going to bite or anything…"

"Hard, anyway." Nick said, as he walked in.

"NICK!" Cassie said, her eyes widening in nervous horror.

"What?"

"Keep that up…and whatever prayer you had of a fox trot tonight is gone." Lena said, giving her husband a glare.

"Consider it gone." He replied, swallowing.

"What are you doing here, Nick?" Sam asked, distracting the Kosoviches from one another.

"Liam's downstairs."

"He's WHAT?" Cassie practically screamed, grabbing the brush from her mother and running it through her own hair.

"That…was my eardrum…" Nick said, one hand over his ear.

"Go." Lena said, showing no sign of forgiveness.

As he left, Janet could have sworn that she heard: "Sounds like an angry tango night…" come from his lips.

"You can kiss any thought of that good-bye RIGHT now." Lena said, trying to calm the young woman.

"Cassie, you're going to dinner…not dancing…" Sam said, remembering her own nervousness when told that she would be dancing with her commanding officer on cable television. "And from what we could tell, you two didn't have a lack of conversation topics."

This won her a tiny glare from the young woman who grabbed her purse and hurried out the door.

"Well, that went well…" Sam said, referencing the nerves that Cassie had still displayed on her way out the door.

"No, it didn't." Janet answered, truthfully.

"I think I need a drink…"

"I think I'll join you."

"Me too."

* * *

"Well, Liam, what are your plans for the evening?" Jack asked, unsure of what exactly to ask the airman under these circumstances.

"I was going to take Cassandra bowling and then out to dinner." He said, nervously. This was his commanding officer, and he was being grilled about what they were doing. Needless to say, he was petrified that if Cassie didn't have a good time, he would find himself spending time in the brig.

"Cassandra? Going all formal?" Jack asked, surprised.

Liam tried not to blush. "Cassie is a little girl's name. Cassandra is a woman."

Jack raised an eyebrow, but both were saved from the impending awkward moment by the sound of shouting upstairs.

Jack gave the nervous young man a tight smile. "Nick was telling Cassie that you're here."

Unfortunately, instead of being comforted by this, Liam paled, wondering for a moment if Cassie really wanted to go out with him. But Cassie soon arrived at the top of the stairs and began descending down into the living room. Her long wavy brown hair was flowing freely. She was wearing a tan sweater and brown slacks. "Hi."

"Hi." Liam said, breathless. "Are you ready to go?" He asked, regaining his ability to speak.

She smiled. "Sure."

"Have her back by eleven, young man." Jack said, as they walked toward the car.

"Jack!" Sam scolded.

"What?"

"Just have fun!" She corrected before she closed the door.

"What?" Jack asked, again.

"She's twenty-four years old."

"So?"

"So, she doesn't need a chaperone!"

"I say she does!"

Sam raised an eyebrow. "Oh, really? And where're Janet and Daniel? They are her parents…"

He took a deep breath, and then nodded. "I know. I just…I'm feeling a little overprotective."

"A little?" She asked, skeptically.

"Okay, a lot overprotective."

"Oh boy…" Sam said, under her breath as she caught a sight of Grace and Danny holding hands as they walked into the kitchen.

"What? What's 'oh boy?'"

"Nothing, Jack."

He turned, and looked to see where Sam was looking. His eyes almost popped out of his head as he beheld his daughter holding hands with Nick's son. Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes and opened them, expecting it to just be a figment of his imagination. Unfortunately for him, it was not.

Shooting a look over at Nick, who had just come back downstairs himself, he jerked his head toward the kitchen. Obediently, Nick looked where was indicating and shook his head. "I guess it's about time we discussed the dowry…" The Aussie quipped.

Jack glared at him for a moment before a reluctant smile spread across his face. "Oh, I ain't paying you, buddy…you're paying me!

Nick heaved a sigh. "I suppose I have to do it…for my son…how much?"

"8 cows."

Sam rolled her eyes and shoved her husband good-naturedly before heading into the kitchen herself. She would never understand men...

* * *

"Have you ever bowled before?" Liam asked as he turned into the bowling alley.

"I've gone with the girls a couple times in college, but not really." she confessed as he opened her car door for her and helped her out of his tiny blue Mustang.

He chuckled. "Well go easy on me...it's been a few months."

"I'm sure you'll do better than me!"

Liam shrugged and gave her a small smile. "Make you a bet..." he offered.

Cassie scrutinized him for a long moment before replying, "What are the terms?"

Picking up one of the two toned bowling shoes and placing it on his foot, he looked at her and she could almost feel herself sinking into his hazel eyes. Mentally shaking herself, she focused her attention on his voice in time to hear him say, "Who ever loses has to buy the winner's meal tonight."

"You're on." she replied, reaching out and shaking his outstretched hand.

They walked toward the bowling balls and Liam said, "Choose your weapon."

Cassie chuckled at this and he gave her a cheeky grin. "Thank you, thank you, I'll be here all night." he joked.

She flicked him on the forearm and he gave her a look of mock hurt that had her outright laughing.

"Ahhh...I knew it." he said, looking at her with an expression that made her feel like she was slightly on display.

"Knew what?" she asked nervously.

He picked up a dark blue bowling ball and tested its weight before he answered, "I knew that you'd have a beautiful smile and I was right."

Looking into his eyes, Cassie saw no traces of flattery or guile, and her face flushed dark red.

"I'm sorry...did I embarrass you?" he asked nervously.

She put a reassuring hand on his arm and replied, "No...I'm just not used to compliments like that."

"That's a shame...someone like you should be." he said simply before turning his attention to the keyboard and inputting his and Cassie's names. Her face was still somewhat red, but she figured if she went out with Liam long enough, she'd stop getting some embarrassed everytime he complimented her!

Raising the ball in front of his face, Liam focused his attention on the pins directly in front of him. Taking three steps forward, he crouched down and released the ball perfectly. He succeeded in knocking over 8 pins and Cassie let out a low whistle. Liam came strutting back and he looked so funny with his neon green and black bowling shoes on that Cassie couldn't help but laugh at the absurd sight.

"You mockin' me?" he asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Me? Mock you? Never." Cassie replied, just as deadpan. They contemplated each other for a moment before both of them burst out laughing. Liam walked over and retrieved his bowling ball. He was only able to add 1 more pin, giving him 9 on the first frame.

"Okay Cassandra...show me what you've got!" he said, giving her a playful evil eye.

Sauntering up to the holding pen where her bowling ball was kept, Cassie picked it up and before she could even take a step, Liam started coughing, but she could hear the undercurrents of laughter behind it.

Putting the ball down, she whirled around, both hands on her hips. "What?" she demanded.

Liam immediately had a contrite look on his face. "I'm sorry, but you're holding it in the wrong hand..."

Feeling like a bit of a fool, Cassie switched the bowling ball to the other hand and won a look of approval from Liam. Walking up to the line, she did some mental calculations in her head and launched the ball, knocking over 3 pins.

"Aww, man!" she groaned.

"Better luck next time...and aim in between the center arrows on the floor." Liam advised.

She nodded, and tried again, this time knocking 4 pins over, for a total of 7 on her first frame.

"Wanna forfeit?" Liam teased as he picked up his bowling ball to start frame two.

Cassie looked him straight in the eye as she strutted right up to him and whispered in his ear, "Not a chance, fly boy."

He watched her walk away, his jaw mentally scraping the ground. Liam could still feel shivers going down his spine from the way her warm breath felt on his ear.

Shaking his head in a desperate attempt to clear it, Liam bowled. He got 6 pins on the first try, then cleaned up the rest for all 10.

"Want me to help you with this one?" he offered.

"Sure!" she agreed.

Liam walked up directly behind her, taking her right wrist in his own right hand. "When you're releasing the ball, you're doing a funny thing with your wrist. You want to keep every thing nice and straight so the ball won't curve off to the side and give you a gutter ball."

She nodded, hardly believing the effect that he was having on her.

"When you draw back, keep a curve to your arm...that should help your trajectory and velocity."

Cassie was so comfortable with his nearness that the terms he used nearly escaped her. She turned her head and looked at him. "Velocity? Trajectory?" she queried.

Liam blushed a little and Cassie found herself thinking that he truly was the most handsome guy she'd ever met.

"Since I didn't go to college, I read a lot. I read about Physics, Archaeology, Astronomy...whatever happens to take my interest at the time." he shrugged.

They stood there gazing into each other's eyes for a long moment until they both heard the distinctive sounds of some VERY familiar snickering coming from behind them.

Cassie grip had somewhat slackened on the bowling ball, so when she whirled away from Liam to see if her suspicions were true, the ball hurtled through the air...and right into the leg of one Nick Kosovich.

Both Cassie and Liam's eyes widened with horror as the dancer went down on the floor. Before they could get to him though, he pulled himself upright and hobbled away as quickly as he could.

"Crap...I'm SO going to hear about this..." Cassie groaned.

Liam had a small smile. "Yeah...but at least he'll think twice about doing some "date recon"!"

Cassie had to laugh. "That's very true. Now, where were we?"

* * *

Nick hopped into the house on one leg and plopped down on the sofa. He hadn't even pulled up his pant leg to examine the damage because he was sure he REALLY didn't want to know...anything that hurt this badly was bound to be bad.

Gritting his teeth, he pulled up his left pant leg and looked at his leg. "Oh boy..." he groaned. His leg literally had a nice bowling ball shaped dent in it. As he was bewailing the coin toss that had sent him on this mission, Lena came into the room, a bag of ice in her hand. "Need this?" she asked, tossing it to him.

"I think I might need more than a bag of ice..." he said, gritting his teeth as he placed the bag on his leg. "This hurts like the blazes."

"What happened?" Lena asked, looking more closely at her husband's face. His normally tan complexion was almost white and she could have sworn there was sweat on his brow.

"Well, Cassie and Liam were in a somewhat close embrace at the time, so when she spun around, I think she forgot that there was a bowling ball in her hand, and it decided that it HAD to be introduced to my leg..." Nick joked weakly.

His wife gave him a look and he sighed. "That's what I get for agreeing to a coin toss with Jack." he grumbled.

"And usually YOU'RE the one with the good luck." she teased gently.

A small smile curved his lips. "I'm beginning to think that Danny's sucked me dry in the luck department!"

She had to laugh outright at this. "Yes, our son DID seem to acquire his share of the family good luck plus someone else's!"

Nick tried to laugh with her, but stopped quickly when he felt waves of pain radiating from his leg. Lena lifted the bag from his leg and gasped. "Nick, I think you need to have Janet take a look at this..."

He merely nodded his agreement and swung his leg down from the sofa. He barely put any weight on it at all before he collapsed on the ground, straining to keep himself from screaming out loud.

"Jack, could you give me a hand?" Lena called, her hand under her husband's elbow. Jack and Sam both came rushing in to find Nick on the floor in extreme pain.

"Sure." he replied immediately. Between the two of them. they got him into the backseat without much jostling of his injured leg. Closing his eyes as his wife high-tailed it to the base, Nick wondered if he could possibly fund a project to pave the road up to Cheyanne Mountain...

* * *

Liam lost to Cassie badly, but loudly declared that the only reason why he lost was because he was distracted by her beauty. Though Cassie could hear a ring of truth in this statement, she chose to take it jokingly. He escorted her outside and opened the car door for her again and she found herself wishing she'd met him sooner.

As they pulled up to the pizza place, Liam turned and looked at her with an expression of mock gravity. "Before we go in, there's something you should know about the two guys who run this place."

"Okay..." she replied, slightly bewildered.

"Their names...are Mario and Luigi." he began.

Cassie started to giggle and an answering smile spread across Liam's own face before he continued.

"They are Italian...and their father was a plumber."

That did it. She cracked up and Liam wasn't too far behind her.

"I've known these guys since grade school and I STILL have a hard time not laughing at them..." he wheezed.

"I can definitely see why!" she giggled.

Climbing out of the car and heading up the sidewalk to the restaurant, Liam opened the door for her and was immediately greeted by two tall, very Italian men.

"Hey, Liam! Too long, man!" the older of the two said with a grin.

"Mario, nice to see you!" he responded, a matching grin on his own face.

"And who is this lovely lady?" Luigi asked, bowing to Cassie.

"That's my date Cassandra." Liam said proudly.

She flushed under their sudden scrutiny and Mario said something in Italian to Liam. He rolled his eyes and responded in kind before whisking Cassie off to a booth in the corner.

"You speak Italian?" she asked as they placed their drink orders and got a basket of breadsticks.

"I hung out a lot with Mario and Luigi growing up, so I picked up some here and there." he said, aware that his cheeks were burning.

"That's really cool." Cassie said, sipping her soda.

The pair ate their pizza, talking of this and that before Liam looked down at his watch and said regretfully that they should probably be heading back, since he had a mission briefing in the morning. She agreed swiftly and after biding Mario and Luigi farewell, they left the restaurant.

"So...may I take you out again sometime?" Liam asked nervously as he pulled into Jack and Sam's driveway.

Cassie smiled at him. "I'd like that."

Reaching into his pocket, Liam pulled out a scrap of paper and a pen. Scrawling a number on it, he handed it to her. "I don't know how long this mission is going to take, but feel free to leave me a message or something, if you want." he told her.

Nodding, she was slightly surprised when he leaned over and hugged her lightly. "I had a good time...hope to see you soon." he said.

"Me too."

Waving to him as he drove away, Cassie allowed a big grin to spread across her face. Liam was great and she was glad she'd decided to go out with him. _Maybe Nick was on to something..._ she thought as she walked up to the house.


	9. Infirmary Visits

Janet stood up at the surface, waiting with a wheelchair for Nick. From the sound of what had happened to his leg, she knew she did NOT want him putting weight on it. 

Lena pulled right up to where the petite doctor stood, waiting with two male medics, and they opened the door. Nick was paler than Janet thought she had ever seen him. "Get him to the infirmary! NOW!" She ordered.

The medics lifted his body out of the car with little effort, and into the wheelchair. They instantly lifted the leg rest so that his leg was elevated, and they raced him to the infirmary while Lena parked.

Nick looked up at Janet while they were in the elevator heading down. "Remind me to NEVER spy on your daughter ever again in my life." He said, trying to chuckle.

Janet looked at Nick, surprised. "What did she do to you?!"

"It wasn't really her fault." He said, as a wave of pain reverberated through his leg.

"Nick, what happened?"

"Centrifugal force decided to teach me a lesson..." He said as he passed out.

Once Nick had been placed on an examination table, Janet took several x-rays of his left leg and winced when she saw the damage to his femur.

Janet turned to her nurses. "Get the OR prepped...I'm going to need to clean some of those bone fragments out and we'll also need some screws as well."

Lena hurried into the infirmary, frazzled by the evening's events. When she arrived, she saw them whisk her husband away. "What's going on?" She asked, the nearest nurse.

"Dr. Kosovich is suffering from a fractured femur."

Lena inhaled deeply in shock. This could effectively end his dancing days...

She nodded her understanding. "Was a compound fracture or a clean?" She asked.

"Definitely a compound."

Lena sighed. It wasn't impossible to come back from an injury like that, but it certainly wasn't going to be easy for her very active husband.

"Nurse!" Janet called, pulling the young orderly from where Lena stood, thinking.

"I'm sorry, ma'am..."

"No, go ahead." Lena said, brought once again to the matters at hand.

Lena picked up the phone on Janet's desk.

"Hello?" Sam's voice answered.

"Hi. It's me, Lena."

" Lena!"

"It looks like I'm going to be here for a while..."

"I gathered that from what Jack said about Nick's leg. Is he doing okay?"

"It's a compound fracture to his femur. Janet's taken him to the OR."

"Oh wow..." Sam said, sympathetically. She'd seen enough injuries at her tenure at the SGC to know how nasty fractures could be.

Lena sighed. "Keeping him off of it is going to be the hard part...you know Nick."

Sam chuckled softly. "Yes, I do. Keep us updated, ok?"

"Will do." Lena replied before hanging up the phone.

--

"I'm home," Cassie called as she entered the door.

"Cassie!" Sam said, having just hung up the phone with Lena. "How was your date?"

"It was great...except Nick was spying...where is he?"

"He's at the infirmary."

Cassie's eyebrows shot up. "Is he okay?"

"I'm sure he'll be fine..."

"You're not telling me everything."

"Your mom's a great doctor, she'll get him fixed up in no time…"

"What was the diagnosis?" She demanded.

"Cassie, you don't need to worry about..."

"Sam..."

"He has a compound fracture in his femur."

Cassie stood there, silent. "Oh."

"Look...your mom's a fabulous doctor...he'll probably be up and around in no time!"

"That requires surgery, Sam...I may be young, but I wasn't born yesterday."

Sam opened and closed her mouth as the young woman went to bed.

Sighing, she shook her head and went to go check on all of the children staying with them. It was amazing how quickly an otherwise excellent evening could change so quickly.

Tommy Kosovich and Nicky were already asleep, but Grace and Danny Kosovich were still awake. She was playing with one of her Barbie dolls while Danny was dutifully being Ken for her. The dolls were dancing a very nice basic waltz and Sam had to smile at this. "Okay you two, enough dancing for tonight." She said gently.

Grace began to pout but stopped immediately with a warning look from Danny. "Yes Mommy." She said, sounding unhappy to have her ballroom doll party broken up.

"We can play again tomorrow." Danny told her seriously.

"Okay. Goodnight, Mommy!" Grace said, putting her doll back in the plastic toy chest before coming over to hug and kiss her mother goodnight.

Danny walked toward his parents' room, to say goodnight. "Danny? Where're you going?"

"I'm going to tell my mum and dad good-night."

"Your parents aren't here right now." Sam said with a smile on her face so as to reassure the six-year-old.

"They're not? They usually tell me when they leave."

"Your Dad got hurt and your mom had to take him to see Aunt Janet."

Danny nodded. "Ah. Will you tell him I said good-night when he gets back?"

"If he gets back before you wake up, I'll be sure to tell him that." Sam said, trying not to make any promises.

The boy accepted this gravely before wishing both her and Grace a polite goodnight and heading into the room he was sharing with his twin and little Nicky.

Sam and her daughter watched him go. "Do you like Danny, Mommy?" Grace asked suddenly.

"Yes...why?"

"Because I'm going to marry him."

Sam managed to hide her amusement until Grace walked into the room that she and Cassie were sharing, thanks to the VERY full house. She chuckled for a moment, but by the time she reached her own bedroom, the feelings of confusion and worry reclaimed her.

Upon her arrival into their room, Jack noticed this immediately.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing..."

He raised an eyebrow. "Nothing?"

Sam looked at her husband, a smile on her face. "Okay...not nothing, but I just...I can't put my finger on it..."

"Other than the fact that Nick's in the infirmary?"

"He's in surgery right now...compound fracture to his femur." Sam said, effectively debriefing her husband.

"Ouch."

"No kidding. Lena called a few minutes ago. She said they'd be there for a while."

"I can't imagine how she's feeling right now...this could potentially end his dance career."

"Well, Lena didn't say anything, but I could tell that she was worried."

He nodded.

Sensing that she still had a lot on her mind, Jack pulled her onto the bed, where he held her. "You okay?"

She nodded, closing her eyes as she savored his embrace.

Jack stroked her hair, holding her close, and in a few minutes, he realized that she was asleep. This wasn't normal for the workaholic astrophysicist, and he kissed her forehead before laying her against the pillows. Tomorrow, he would make her see Janet, to figure out what was going on.

--

Nick opened his eyes slowly. His leg wasn't hurting at all and he felt like he was in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico at the moment.

Rolling his head to the side, he saw Janet Frasier writing something on a clipboard. "Using me for one of your experiments now, are you?"

She gave a tiny chuckle. "No. I save that privilege for General O'Neill. You, on the other hand, have just awoken from the anesthesia given you during surgery."

His eyebrows raised. "Surgery?"

"Yes, Nick...surgery. On your leg."

"Oy..." he said.

"That's the last time I'm ever going bowling, I think..." He quipped lightly.

Janet shook her head as she turned away from him. "I'm going to go let Lena know you've woken up."

He nodded his assent to this course of action and closed his eyes again, though he really wasn't tired.

--

Lena sat in the infirmary, her head beginning to droop in sleep. She had been up all night waiting for Nick to awaken.

According to Janet, the surgery had gone well, but...she still wanted to make sure that he was all right.

" Lena?" Janet asked, gently shaking her.

"Huh?" She asked, awaking swiftly.

"Nick's awake if you'd like to see him..."

Her eyes snapped open, and whatever traces of sleep had been left in her weary body were erased quickly.

"Of course."

Janet smiled. "This way."

Nick looked up as his wife came in and he smiled. "Hello darling."

Wordlessly, Lena leaned down and hugged him tightly. Nick held and murmured gently in her ear, "It's okay...I'm fine."

"I know...but a compound fracture is nothing to sneeze at..."

"Did I sneeze?" Nick asked, looking at Janet, a teasingly confused look in his eye.

Lena had to chuckle, and she kissed her husband's cheek. "It's an expression, darling."

"I know." He said, a smile on his face, grateful that he had been able to get her to chuckle.

Lena smacked his arm lightly but still had a faint smile.

"As soon as we get a cast on your leg, you're free to go." Janet told him.

"Hmmm...I wonder how many people I can get to sign it..." Nick mused.

"I'm sure my nurses would love to be the first ones..." Janet teased. Nick had a smug grin on his face that earned him another smack from his wife.

"Be good." She admonished.

"How can I be what I'm not?" Nick asked, cheekily.

Janet's eyebrows raised for a moment as Lena blushed. She coughed. "All right...that's enough...it's time to cast your leg."

"Awww..." Nick groaned theatrically.

Janet had an evil smirk on her face. "Just remember, Nick...don't start something you're not going to be able to finish..."

Both husband and wife went red at this comment and Janet got her supplies ready with a satisfied smile.

--

Jack untangled himself from his wife's embrace as he heard the early-morning stirrings of the kids.

She tried to grasp him more firmly, but as he placed a kiss on her forehead, she relaxed and he was able to slip out of bed.

"What's goin' on?" She asked, sleep lacing her words.

"Kids are up...thought I'd save the neighborhood."

She nodded, though Jack could tell that none of the conversation had seeped into her mind. Undoubtedly she would awaken and ask him why he had gone...

He chuckled. His wife was certainly one of a kind...

--

After an awkward ride back up to the surface, Nick was placed in the back of the car with some Vicodin and crutches. He giggled the entire way home and Lena was beginning to question the wisdom of giving her already goony husband pain medication...

Turning off the engine, Lena helped Nick out and onto his crutches, which he handled like a seasoned pro. "Done this before?"

"Yeah...twisted my ankle when I was playing rugby at age 16." He responded.

Lena tried to picture her husband as a 16 year old boy playing rugby and just couldn't do it. "Somehow I can't see you playing rugby..."

"Of course not...my leg is hurt." He said, starting to snicker.

"That's not what I meant, and you know it." She returned playfully.

"Ah...I know it, do I?"

She rolled her eyes. "You've been dubbed the Ballroom Emperor, and you expect me to picture you as a rough and tumbling teenager playing rugby?"

There was a wicked glint in Nick's eye as he said, "If I didn't have these dratted crutches, I could show you just how rough and tumble I am..."

Arching an eyebrow, Lena replied, "Remember what Janet said...don't start something you can't finish, my dear..."

Turning away from him, she bent over and got the spare key out to let them both in. Before she could rise again, something swatted her behind and she whirled around to find Nick holding one crutch in both hands with a wide grin on his face.

"Okay, you two...not in front of the kids." Jack said, opening the door.

Lena had the grace to look abashed while Nick merely smirked as he tucked his crutch back under his arm.

"And be quiet...Sam's still sleeping."

Lena and Nick made it into the house, both with puzzled looks. "It's eight o' clock in the morning..."

"Yeah, I know..."

"Something wrong?"

Jack shrugged. "I was going to have her go see Janet when she wakes up."

"That'd be a good idea."

"Yeah...she should get some of this stuff..." Nick said, swaying a little with the effects of the Vicodin.

"No, darling, I don't think ANYONE should be on that stuff..." Lena said, stabilizing her husband for a moment. "Especially not you."

"But it makes me feel so good!" Nick protested.

Lena began leading him to the bedroom. "I know…"

"Got something in mind?" Nick asked, waggling his eyebrows.

"Yes. Bed." Lena retorted.

"Good choice." Nick's voice could be heard going down the hall.

Jack shook his head as he returned to the kids in the kitchen. "So…pancakes anybody?"

"What's wrong with Daddy?" Tommy asked, his eyes wide with surprise. His dad was goofy, but not THAT goofy.

"Nothing's wrong with him." Lena said, returning at that moment. "Aunt Janet gave him some medicine for his leg, and it's making him really funny right now."

Sam padded softly into the kitchen, dressed in pajama pants and a sweatshirt. "Good morning all…" She greeted warmly.

"Well, if it isn't Sleeping Beauty herself." Jack said, as he kissed her good morning. "I made your favorite!"

"Fabulous! I'm starving!" She said, picking up a couple of pancakes.

Jack smiled. "I know.

She looked up as she poured syrup on her pancakes to find Lena standing there. "When did you and Nick get back?"

"About five minutes ago. The Ballroom Emperor has officially been given painkillers, so...look out world!"

Sam's eyes widened as if in horror at the thought of Nick on painkillers. "I don't think the world is ready for that..."

Lena chuckled, helping herself to some of the pancakes. "I don't think I'M ready for Nick on painkillers."

Jack and Sam looked at each other. "And here I though Nick was already bad..." Jack muttered.

"Apparently he and his new friend Vicodin need to be separated as soon as is humanly possible..." She replied, trying not to laugh.

"Dad is acting like a goon." Danny observed.

"Ya think?" Jack replied sarcastically.

"More than you do..." The youngster shot back.

"Daniel Evan!" His mother admonished.

Jack merely laughed. "I asked for that one, Lena...you're a pretty sharp kid, Danny."

The boy nodded gravely. "I take after my father."

Sam reached into the fridge and pulled out the orange juice. "So...anybody got any plans for today?"

"You do." Jack said, retrieving the bowl of fresh fruit from the countertop.

"I do?" She asked, surprised.

"Other than the fact that SG-1 was SUPPOSED to have a mission this morning..." Jack said before his eyes widened. "Crap! I have to get the base!"

Sam's eyes widened as well. "Why'd you let me sleep so late?!"

They both ran to their room as Lena stifled a yawn. She walked over to the guest room that Cassie was sharing with Grace and knocked on the door. Cassie opened it, sleepily. "Yeah?"

"Can you watch the kids?" Lena yawned again. "I was with Nick all night last night, and Sam and Jack just remembered that they need to be at the base…"

"I'll be there in a sec…"

"Thanks Cass...you're a life saver."

"I know...but don't worry, I'll collect someday." The young woman said with a laugh.

"Perish the thought." Sam replied dryly as she walked past to get back to her breakfast.

Cassie cleared her throat a couple of times before asking, "So...how's Nick?"

"Oh, Nick is FINE." Lena replied with a slight chuckle. "He's on Vicodin, and he's giggling up a storm...or at least he was until he tried to place the moves on me and ended up asleep in bed..."

Cassie's eyes widened. "Oh... Lena, did you REALLY have to share?"

"I'll have you know we're not any worse than your parents or Sam and Jack..."

"But at least they don't TRY to scar me...it just happens as a result of my own natural curiosity, but...you and Nick..."

Lena chuckled as she yawned. "Try and hurry, please. I think I may fall asleep..."

As she returned to the kitchen, she could hear the running around of Sam and Jack as they tried to get ready for work. "Sam...relax, I'm the base commander...I can give you the day off!"

"But Jack, I don't want special treatment!"

"Sam...you fell asleep the moment your head hit the pillow last night...even if you weren't married to me, I'd have found out you weren't feeling well eventually..."

"I'm feeling FINE, Jack...just a little tired. But I've had a house full of guests, so that's normal!"

"Look...please, just...go see Janet...let's figure out if something else is going on..."

"I've already been to see Janet, Jack...it's called a pre-mission physical."

He nodded. "That's right...I forgot about that..." There was a brief silence as Jack continued. "I guess I'm just overreacting a little..." Jack admitted.

"It's sweet of you to worry about me, but I'm fine." She replied.

"I'm NOT sweet." He grumbled.

"No kidding!" Cassie called.

Sam smiled. "Okay...you're not sweet...to anyone except me."

He nodded, accepting this compromise.

"Well, we oughta go..."

She nodded. "Besides, there's...something I wanted to tell you on the way..."

Jack drew his eyebrows together. "Something IS wrong and you're just not telling me?"

"There's a reason I want to talk in the car." She said, sternly as she hurried out to the car.

Jack was surprised by his wife's bashfulness...surely after seven years of marriage they had gotten past the blushing bride stage...

Jack got into the car beside his wife, who was nervously fidgeting with the sleeve of her jacket.

"Something wrong?"

"No."

"Sam, you told me that inside, and then you said you needed to talk to me out here."

She took a deep breath. "I didn't want to say anything in there, because I'm not really sure..."

"Not really sure about what?"

"I think...I think I might be pregnant.."

His eyebrows shot up. "What?"

She gave him a nervous grin. "I think we might be having another baby."

He grinned, foolishly. "You're kidding!"

She shook her head. "No…"

"No, I mean…I know you'd never joke about something like this, but…" His voice dropped to a whisper. "We're going to have another baby."

She returned to her realistic nature, still somewhat unsure. "Jack, I…please…I don't know for sure…I mean, it's possible that this is just it, and we can't…"

"Sam…" He said, reaching to her hand. "It's okay…baby or not…I promise."

She almost looked relieved, but she also looked somewhat disappointed. "Right…"

"But…" He said, forcing her to look into his eyes. "I would be ecstatic if we were to have another baby."

She smiled as he kissed her. "Me too." She said as he parted from her and leaned his forehead against hers.


	10. Family: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

Nick awoke and looked around him. His vision was slightly fuzzy but he felt like he'd had a few margaritas and he smiled. 

"Margaritaville..." he began singing, somewhat loudly and off-key.

Lena clapped a hand over his mouth and he giggled. "Oh boy...this is going to be a LONG day..." She said.

"Is Dad on crack?" Tommy asked curiously, his head tilted to one side.

"I'm beginning to wonder that myself, Tommy..." His mother replied, looking down at her helplessly giggling husband.

The Aussie looked up at his wife and starting humming an all too familiar Tom Jones song.

"Nick, don't you DARE!" Lena warned.

He merely gave her a wide grin before launching into a stirring rendition of "Sex Bomb."

Tommy looked at his brother. "What's a Sex Bomb?" he asked.

"I'll tell you when you're older." Danny replied, shivering.

Lena looked at her eldest in surprise. "Danny, what do you mean you'll tell your brother when he's older?"

He looked at the floor, uncomfortably.

"You were scarred?"

Danny nodded. "For life."

Lena tried not to laugh. How well she remembered the first time someone in her family had scarred her.

--

Liam walked down the hallway and almost ran into General O'Neill who was grinning so widely that it almost frightened the young lieutenant. "I'm sorry, sir." He apologized quickly.

"It's alright, Harris. SG-1's mission has been scrubbed." He said, motioning to the young man's haste toward to the locker room.

"Really, sir?"

"Yes, son. Actually, Harris...take the day off...you've been on duty for what?"

"Well, I haven't had leave for about three months..."

"Take the day off, then."

Liam looked at the general in shock for a moment before grinning himself. "Yes sir!"

Shrugging off his BDUs, the lieutenant quickly pulled on his civilian clothes and grabbed his cell phone out of his pocket. Once he got to the surface, he would call Cassie and see if she was available to do something...

--

Lena was at her wits end with Nick. When he wasn't hitting on her, he was trying to stand up, or even dance.

"Nick, you have to lay down!"

"I don't wanna." Came his stubborn response.

Closing her eyes, Lena muttered a few choice phrases in Russian to herself.

"That wasn't very nice." Nick complained, peering up at her.

"Then stop being so bloody aggravating!" She snapped.

Nick crossed his arms across his chest and pouted, looking very much like Danny when he had to eat peas.

She had to smile a little at this and reached over to sweep a small piece of hair off his brow.

Nick reached up swiftly and caught hold of her wrist. The next thing she knew, she was being held rather tightly. "There...that's better." He purred.

As much as Lena wanted to protest, she was unable to do so. Nick grinned as he fell asleep with his arms around his wife. "Knew you couldn't resist." He said, sleepily.

She tried to be angry at him, but he had pulled out the accent as he had fallen asleep, an unconscious reaction, but it had the same effect nevertheless.

She smiled at the sight of her sleeping husband and shook her head. "You're just a big kid." She said as she placed a tender kiss on his cheek.

--

Cassie's cell phone rang, and she picked it up. "Hello?"

"Hi. Cassandra?"

Her heart skipped a beat. "Liam?"

"Yes...It's me."

"I thought you had a mission."

"General O'Neill said that it was scrubbed."

Her eyes widened. "Really?"

"Yeah...I was wondering if you wanted to try the batting cages this afternoon."

"Batting cages?"

"Yeah..." He said, somewhat sheepish. "I...We can do something else..."

"No...I've never REALLY played baseball before, and I could use some brushing up on my batting skills."

"Cool. Want me to pick you up in half an hour or so?"

She saw the boys sitting quietly in the living room, playing with Grace and Nicky. "I'm sorry, Liam, I just realized...I'm watching the kids while Sam and Jack are gone."

"Where are Nick and Lena?"

"They're...otherwise occupied." Cassie said with a chuckle.

"Oy...kinda sounds like I don't really want to know..." Liam said dryly.

"Not like that! They're both asleep."

"Ahhh...well let me know when they're awake and maybe we could take the kids to the park or something...get them out of their hair."

"I'd like that...I'll call you later." She replied.

He said goodbye and Cassie hung up the phone with a wide smile.

"Was that your boyfriend?" Grace asked, nonchalantly as she laid down one of the UNO cards.

"Excuse me?" Cassie asked, surprised.

"Was that Liam? 'Cuz he's your boyfriend."

"Uh..." She began. "He's not my boyfriend..." She finished lamely.

Danny turned to Grace, rolling his eyes. "Uh huh..."

"Okay...what have your parents been saying about Liam and me?"

"Oh...just that you two are PERFECT for each other." Tommy said, exaggerating the 'perfect.'

"Really?"

"Oh yeah..."

Cassie chuckled as she heard the water on the stove boil. "Okay, kids, pick up the cards...it's time for Ramen Noodles!"

There was a little grumbling, but Danny took the cards and neatly arranged them by color and number before replacing them into the box.

"I think we made her uncomfortable." He told his brother and Grace.

Both of them nodded as they followed the older boy into the kitchen for lunch.

"We're sorry if we offended you." Danny told Cassie solemnly as he entered the kitchen. "That was not our intent."

"What do you mean, Danny?" Cassie asked as she served the noodles up to the children.

"We have made you uncomfortable when we mentioned Liam. We are sorry."

"Oh, you're fine...it's your parents who should be apologizing..." She said, chuckling.

"At any rate, we wish to apologize."

"Well, then, apology accepted."

The front door opened. "Hello!"

"Mommy!" Nicky said, getting up from the table and running toward the sound of Sam's voice.

She braced herself for impact, using the three-year-old's velocity to swing him up and onto her hip. "Hey, Nicky!"

The three-year-old nearly burst into tears. "I missed you Mommy!"

She smiled. "I missed you too, sweetheart, but I'm back now."

She grinned at Cassie. "And I brought someone who wanted to see you..."

Cassie drew her eyebrows together in confusion. "Who?"

Liam walked through the door. "Hello, Cassandra."

"Liam?" She asked, her eyebrows raising in surprise. "I thought I'd call you later!"

"And then I saw him and needed a ride." Sam finished. "Jack's going to be working kinda late today, and anyone who was scheduled to be on the expedition today was given the day off." She said, a twinkle in her eye.

"Yeah, General O'Neill was in a REALLY good mood today."

Sam snorted. "I'll bet."

"You're not mad I'm here, are you?" Liam asked, somewhat nervous.

"No, of course not." Cassie responded quickly. "Just surprised."

"Sorry…I was walking out to go home and there was Colonel…Sam…"

"Colonel Sam? Is that like Uncle Sam?" Sam asked, chuckling.

"Uh…" Liam said, unsure of how to get himself out of the awkwardness of that.

Cassie chuckled as she watched his face turn slightly red from the surprise of the question and the established rebuke.

Sam chuckled as well and, with little Nicky on her hip, she ushered the couple out the door. "Now, have fun…but not too much." She said with a wink. "Or you'll end up like me." She said, adding a mischievous glance to Cassie.

Liam sputtered as the door closed, and Cassie chuckled. "What did she mean by that?"

"Isn't it obvious? She's pregnant." Cassie said, walking out to the car.

"And she was suggesting that you and I would…" Liam sputtered, unable to finish his sentence. "I mean, it's our second date, for cryin' out loud!"

"She was teasing…"

Liam's ears were red at this point and Cassie tried to disguise her laugh, but it came out as a snort. He gave her a mock evil eye that only served to make her laugh even harder.

"Oh come on...you've never been scarred before?"

"Not like that!" Liam protested.

She shook her head. "You haven't been around Nick and Lena, my parents, or Jack and Sam...have you?"

"Not if I can help it!" He quipped.

She laughed. "So...what're we doing?"

"I thought maybe we could go over to the batting cages and hit a few baseballs." He said. "Unless you don't want to..."

"Sounds good." She said, glad that he was the one suggesting an activity that she could easily fake needing assistance with. She wanted to have his arms around her the way they had been at the bowling alley, and this was a definite opportunity to have such a feeling.

He gave her a wide grin. "Let's see if you have better luck hanging onto a bat than you do holding a bowling ball." He said quickly before racing around the car so she couldn't hit him for this remark.

She raced after him and pinned him up against his car. They were inches away from each other, each breathing a little more heavily from their jog. Cassie looked deeply into Liam's eyes, and she was surprised at what she found there. There was a lightheartedness that she had expected, but also a deep sense of sorrow.

The windows in her heart expanded, as if her soul was drinking the essence of this man.

"So...baseball." He said, as she backed away.

"Right."

Liam opened the car door for Cassie, trying not to think about what had just transpired.

"Thank you." She said, with a slight nod.

"Not a problem." He responded, his sounding a little more husky than he would have liked.

She took a deep breath as he hurried around to the other side of the car.

Liam quickly started the engine and headed out to Foster's Batting Cages. Pulling into the space, he bounced out of the car and raced around to open Cassie's door again.

"After you, Madam." He said in a cheesy French accent.

"I believe it's mademoiselle..." She said, cheekily. "I'm not married."

He raised an eyebrow. "Zat could be taken care of..."

A slight flutter began in her stomach as she blushed. "Well...let's go." She said, brushing the feeling away.

He gave her a grin and led the way inside to the batting cages. After testing a couple of bats, he held one out for her to take.

She accepted it, letting it fall somewhat slackly against her leg as though she didn't know what to do with the bat.

"Sorry." She mumbled, pretending to be embarrassed.

"Sorry about what?"

"Baseball never really was my thing..."

"That's okay." He said with a chuckle. "I'll show you what you do."

She smiled a knowing smile. "You just want to get your arms around me again, don't you?"

"Oh you know it." He replied with a slightly evil grin.

"Well, maybe you're not the only one who'd like you to teach me..."

Liam swung the bat up onto his left shoulder, his right hand in his jeans pocket. "Oh yeah?"

"Yeah...I hear Nick has money riding on this..." She replied, mimicking him and walking a little further ahead of him, a slightly exaggerated sway to her hips.

Liam raised an eyebrow and walked into the batting cage. Setting down the bat, he pulled off his shirt to reveal a plain white tank top. Picking up the bat and placing a protective helmet on his head, he successfully hit 4 balls.

Cassie's jaw dropped at the physique she saw...and she thought she was used to good-looking men...after all, she had grown up around several...THAT much had been proven when in college, her roommate had started a "Cassie's Father Figure Fan Club," or as it had been affectionately nicknamed, "The CFFFC".

Swinging the bat back up onto his shoulder, he turned to her. "Want to have a go?"

She blinked in incomprehension for a moment before recovering. "Sure..."

Smiling somewhat seductively, Liam extended his hand to her to lead her into the proper stance.

Within a few moments, she was back in his embrace, and a familiar warmth spread through her body.

"Okay...first thing you want to do is make sure your feet are apart and firmly planted." He whispered, his voice low in her ear.

"Uh huh..." She said, the feel of his breath on her ear starting to tickle her whole spirit.

"You want your hands to be somewhat apart and a little further up on the bat." He instructed, sliding her hands up with his.

"Okay."

"Your eyes need to be looking straight at the launcher where the ball will be coming from. Bring your elbow up, but keep the bat firmly gripped so you don't knock your helmet off..."

She nodded, steeling herself for the coming baseball.

"And...swing!" Liam said, bring the bat sharply around. The bat "cracked!" as it connected with the ball and sent it flying.

"Wow..." She breathed, more about the exhilaration of having his arms around her than about the actual hitting of the baseball.

"Do you want to hit one by yourself, or do you still need help?" He asked with mock solemnity.

"I don't think I would mind another...practice..." She said, her mind swimming.

"Okay." Liam replied.

He went through the routine once more, and Cassie could suddenly see herself falling for him…never to recover.

As he pulled away after yet another 'crack' sent a baseball flying, Cassie turned to him. "So…had your fill of having your arms around me, huh?" She asked, teasingly, her way of coping with the immense pleasure of having his arms around her.

There was an equally teasing gleam in Liam's eye as he pulled his polo back on. He grinned. "Well, there's always mini-golf…"

Cassie's knees went weak for a moment, but she recovered quickly. She walked up to him and raised her eyebrow somewhat seductively in jest. "So…it WAS as good for you as it was for me?"

She smirked as she walked out of the batting cage as Liam sputtered for a response.

He hurried after her a few seconds later. "Cassandra!" He sputtered again.

She flashed him a grin. "Oh…I got you!"

"But…" He couldn't even string together a coherent sentence before he finally gave into laughter. "All right…you did get me…"

She chuckled. "You're so cute when you get flustered…"

"Oh, really?"

"Yeah."

"Well, thank you, mademoiselle…" He said, bowing low as he let her out into the parking lot first.

Cassie had to laugh at this and Liam gave her a mock pout. "Oh, don't even start, Liam." she told him.

"Darn...that works about as well on you as it does my mother..." he replied ruefully.

"Then, your mother is a smart woman." Cassie teased.

Liam shook his head and chuckled.

"So...tell me about your family." Cassie continued as they walked back to the car.

"Well, it's just me, my mom and my sister, Andrea." Liam said, sobering up considerably.

"Really?"

Liam nodded. "Yeah...my dad and brother were in an accident..." He said, his gaze fixated on the car as he opened the door for her.

She looked up at him as she got into the car, and she opened her mouth to speak, but quickly got the door shut in her face. Obviously, this was a touchy subject.

Liam climbed into the driver's seat, his hands clenching the steering wheel so tightly that his knuckles were turning white.

"Liam...are you okay?" Cassie asked, concerned. "I didn't mean to upset you..."

Closing his eyes, he heaved a heavy sigh. "Sorry...you didn't deserve that." He said softly.

"Liam...I know what it's like to have touchy subjects mentioned...don't apologize...I just...I wouldn't have asked if I'd known it was..."

"I didn't tell you about it...it's my fault." He told her, giving her a tight-lipped smile.

_Suddenly, she could see the panic on Liam's face as the brakes squealed against the ice. Her head was swimming with dizziness as she could feel the car that she was in right then start spinning out of control. And she could see the blood from where Liam's father and brother flew out of the car and into the forest a few feet away._

He began starting the car, and she gently touched his arm before he could do so. "Liam...I highly doubt it was your fault."

Liam gazed at her, his eyes haunted and full of pain. "Yes it was."

"Liam..." Cassie said, taking a deep breath and steeling herself for what she was going to reveal about herself. "It was an accident. You may have been a new driver, but it was the weather more than it was your driving..."

His head whipped around to look at her. "What the hell..." He whispered.

She looked incredibly uncomfortable as she tried to give him a weak smile. "I'm...I'm psychic. And that probably really creeps you out..." She said, reaching for the door handle. "I'll just call..."

Liam's hand shot out and grasped her gently yet firmly by the arm. "If you're psychic, you'll know that I'm not lying when I tell you that you DON'T creep me out."

"It's selective..." She said, looking insecurely at his hand touching her arm. "Kind of an...opening of the mind thing..."

Liam reached out his other hand and tipped her chin up to meet his hazel eyes. "I would never lie to you." He said honestly.

"I'm sorry...whenever I get a glimpse into someone's thoughts, I...I feel like I'm stepping on sacred ground...like I'm intruding." She whispered.

Liam gave her a sad half smile. "Nah...my thoughts usually aren't sacred..."

"Yes, Liam...they are...they're what makes you who you are."

He averted his gaze from hers for a moment. "My thoughts aren't sacred." He said, a note of finality in his voice.

"Try looking at it from my perspective." She said, pulling his eyes back to hers. "I get to know people better than most husbands and wives know each other...that's a sacred intimacy that...that I'm afraid that I might violate. But that's neither here nor there. I'm sorry that my intrusion into your thoughts has caused you such pain."

"It's not your fault."

"Maybe not..." She said, wistfully. "But the accident wasn't your fault either."

"Yes it was." He said, tears stinging the back of his eyes. He could still feel the cold metal compressed around him, trapping him.

She pulled him into an embrace and held him. She didn't say anything, just let him feel her strength beside him.

He clung to her as though he was afraid that he going to be completely left alone in the world.

"Liam..." She whispered as she let her fingers feather through his hair. "Thank you."

She got choked up before she could explain why she was thanking him, and he looked up at her. "Why?"

"Because you've accepted me for who I am...and let me see who you are." She said, tears stinging her eyes.

"How could anyone not accept you?"

She bit her lip as she shrugged. "You'd be surprised..."

He nodded. "I know how that feels."

She looked him in the eyes. "I know."

Gazing straight ahead of him, Liam's eyes had a faraway look in them. "He would have been 32 today."

She took his hand. "Do you want to do something for him today? I can stick around..."

"I don't know what to do..." He said, shrugging. "Nothing I've ever come up with has seemed...right."

Images flooded her mind of his brother, Robert. He was running track in high school, playing football with his brothers in the backyard, accidentally snorting soda out of his nose. Each memory brought a poignancy that seemed to cry out in pain. "He was very special."

"Yeah, he was..." Liam said, softly. "He was my best friend..."

"Tell me about him." Cassie prompted gently.

"What? You don't already know everything about him?" He teased, gently.

"Nope." She returned. "I may be psychic, but I'm not omniscient!"

He chuckled at this, before reflecting for a long moment. "Robby...was one of the BIGGEST teases I've ever met, except for Nick."

"Really?"

He nodded. "Do...do you mind if we...if we go to my place? I have some...pictures that I'd...I'd like to..."

"Sure." Cassie said, smiling. "I'd love to."

Liam gave her a small smile in return before pulling back out into traffic and heading to his apartment that he referred to as "The Doll House" because of its small size. Guiding her up to the 5th floor, he left her sitting on the couch as he dug through the cabinets on the bottom of the entertainment center before coming back with three photo albums.

Opening the first one, he smiled. "This is me, and Robby when we were kids. I'm the one with mud all over me." He chuckled. "We were in SUCH trouble for that one!"

"I'll bet...do you know how hard it is to get mud out of clothing?" She asked, a gentle smile on her face as she watched the healing that was occurring.

Liam shrugged. "We wanted a mud pie and by heck, we were going to make it!"

She chuckled. "Sounds like you two loved life..."

"Oh we did." Flipping the page, there was a picture of both Liam and Robert in their T-Ball uniforms. "Robby loved having me on the team because whenever the Coach would yell "Harris!", we'd both answer him."

"But because you two looked so alike in your uniforms, the coach would get confused while trying to tell between the two of you..." She said, fondly. "So...if either of you were supposed to get into trouble, you'd get out of it without hearing the lecture..."

Liam gave her a surprised look before grinning. "Yep. Sometimes people swore we were twins, even though Robby was 5 years older."

She grinned. "Caught you by surprise this time, didn't I?"

"Just a little." He laughed.

Turning the page again, he found the pictures of Robby in high school as a freshman in the school band.

As he reminisced, it was surprising to Cassie to realize just how easily his thoughts filled her head. It was as if there was no barrier between herself and him. There were only three people that she'd had even part of that connection with before: Sam, Jack, and her mother. It was kind of frightening to her actually. Because she could feel the connection strengthen each time she was with him. And if she kept seeing inside him, she could get really attached, and really hurt if something occurred and he decided that she wasn't the one…

She shook the thoughts from her head and returned her gaze to the photographs. "Something on your mind?" Liam asked, watching her.

"No…nothing." She returned.

"Nothing? I have a hard time thinking that someone so intelligent would have nothing on your mind…"

She shrugged. "Just…some thoughts that felt the need to creep up…"

"You don't want to talk about it, do you?"

"Not really." She admitted.

"Okay…"

Pulling out the second album, Liam showed her more photographs, mostly from Robby's various musical recitals.

"Hey, you play an instrument, don't you?" Cassie asked, as she looked at various pictures of Robby's performances.

Liam nodded. "I play three, actually."

She groaned as she heard a tiny chuckle erupt from deep within him. "And don't give me that look like I just read your mind...I didn't...you told me that you're musically inclined when we first met..."

He laughed softly. "I play cello, guitar and drums."

"And you fiddle around on the violin, isn't that right?"

"Yeah."

"Well, I don't play an instrument, and I'm not able to carry a tune to save my life..." She laughed. "But I count myself as a music appreciator."

"Hey, if everyone played, there'd be no one left to come to concerts!"

She chuckled. "Do you have a concert anytime soon?"

"My rock band is playing this Saturday, if you want to come..." He said, looking down at his hands.

"I'd love to." She said smiling. "It sounds like fun."

Liam grinned. "Sometime, classical is just...too rigid for me."

"But it has its merits." She said, chuckling. "Don't tell anyone that I told you, but Sam used to study opera...she changed her major halfway through school."

"Wow!" He said, looking impressed. "That's not exactly easy..."

"Nope...but according to Sam, it's rewarding..."

Liam nodded, his fingers absent-mindedly tapping drum patterns on his knee.

"You wanna play something for me?" She asked, noticing the subtle gesture.

He looked down at his hands and blushed. "Sometimes they run away with me." He confessed.

"It's okay...at least I know you love what you do..."

He smiled. Standing up, he took a small brown hand drum off the top of the entertainment center and placed it carefully on his lap. Closing his eyes, he began by striking the drum in the center before adding rim slaps and more complex rhythms on top of it.

At the end of the piece, she turned, stunned. "You're really very good."

His ears turned red. "I just made it up as I went."

"Are you serious? That's amazing." She gushed.

Liam's face was now bright red. "Yeah...thanks." He mumbled as he set the drum back in its proper place.

"What's so embarrassing about that?" Cassie asked, an intrigued smile on her face.

"I've never really been someone who's considered themselves wonderful or anything...I just do it." He shrugged, the color in his face fading.

"Liam...I've seen into your thoughts...you're an amazing person." She said, a look of sincere admiration on her face.

Closing his eyes quickly, he couldn't stop a tear from sliding out under his right eyelid.

She placed one hand on his back. "Trust me...I know you can't see it yet, but...you're amazing."

"No I'm not." He choked out, pulling away from her and standing in front of the window facing the street.

"I am honored to call you my friend." She said, sincerely.

He turned to her, his face wet with tears. "So was Robby, and I killed him."

"Liam...what's really at stake here? I've already tried to help you see that it was an accident...it wasn't your fault...but...you seem to be holding something back, and even my quote-unquote psychic powers aren't able to reveal it to me..."

"Cassandra, I won't lie to you…" He admitted, softly. "I like you…a lot…"

Her heart fluttered at the thought, and then, it plummeted at the sound of the tone of his voice. "But?"

"I've managed to hurt everyone that I've loved. And…I think you should have a chance to get out before I can hurt you too."

Strangely, that hurt her worse than anything he could have done to offend her. It was as if he had read her thoughts and given her the out that she'd wanted. "I'm not the only psychic, am I?"

He looked up with incomprehension.

"I was just thinking a little while ago about whether or not I would be able to bounce back from you…"

"And?" He prompted gently.

"I don't think anything you could throw at me would be anything in comparison with what I've had to deal with before." She said simply.

"That's right…I forgot you have an understanding with the Universe…" Liam said with a sigh.

Cassie looked at him, unsure of whether or not she had heard what she'd just heard. With tears stinging her eyes, she looked him in the eye. "I know you're hurting, but…" She didn't finish her sentence, and she turned to leave.

Liam was instantly contrite and took her arm. "Cassandra…"

She pulled away from him.

"Cassandra, I'm so sorry…I was trying to lighten the mood, but it…"

She had stopped at the door, her back still turned to him.

"Cassandra, please…I didn't mean to hurt you."

She turned. "Do you know what it's like to have the burden of an entire civilization on your shoulders? A whole world? A whole planet? You're not the only one with survivor's guilt, Liam…"

Liam looked at her for a long moment before sinking back onto the sofa, allowing his head to rest in his hands.

"My pride is what killed my father and brother, Cassandra...I was too proud to listen and it cost me everything."

She walked over and knelt in front of him and placed her hand under his chin. "Liam, it didn't cost you everything...there's still your mother and sister. You're still here...and you must be pretty special for some higher power to have protected you like that."

Liam gazed at her, tears still streaming down his face. "My mother had a mental breakdown...she's in the inpatient unit in the hospital where she has been for 3 years and Andrea is doing all she can to stay in school...we hardly talk."

Tears stung her eyes. "Liam..." She choked out as she put her arms around him.

He allowed his head to fall onto her shoulder as he wept.

"All I had to do was slow down!" He sobbed.

She didn't say anything, just kept holding him, and allowed him to release all of the emotions that had been kept pent up in his soul for so long.

Catching his breath, Liam's tears slowly subsided. He still remained in Cassie's embrace, feeling more comfort than he had in a long time.

"Feel better?" Cassie asked, gently as he began to pull away a few moments later.

He nodded, wiping at his face roughly.

She aided him, gently touching the wet lines that his tears had formed on his face, and wiping the tears from his face. "So...what next?" She asked, looking at him inquisitively.

"Ummm...I've got my guitar nearby." He said, clearing his throat and averting his gaze from her eyes.

"I'd like to hear you..."

Standing up, Liam retrieved his acoustic from its stand in the corner of the room. Reaching down into the seat cushions, he triumphantly produced a guitar pick.

She chuckled. "That's an odd place to keep those..."

He grinned. "I'm a guitarist, therefore I have picks all over the place..."

"I can see that."

Setting the guitar comfortably on his lap, he began to play a Yellowcard song called "Only One".

Cassie was speechless when it was finished. "Wow..."

Liam's ears were red again. "Thanks."

"So..." Cassie said, trying to get rid of the nervous fluttering in her stomach. "Got someone you were singing to?" She asked, trying to tease him. Somehow, it wasn't coming out as well as she wanted it to come out.

Liam turned his eyes to her, and gave her a half smile. "Maybe..." He teased back.

The light atmosphere had partially returned, and Cassie chuckled as she looked around the room. "Well, where is she?"

In answer to this question, Liam launched into the song "Run" by Rex Goudie and looked pointedly at Cassie as he sang the line, "And I'm just a guy who's in love with a girl right in front of me..."

Again, that nervous feeling started creeping over her, but there was a note of truth that rang in her soul. She smiled. "Our second date and you're in love with me? Wow...I AM lucky...maybe I should go to Vegas..."

Liam cracked up before singing "Viva Las Vegas".

"You've got a song for everything, don't you?"

He grinned cheekily. "Of course!"

She shook her head, still sitting on the floor in front of him.

Taking his guitar pick in his hands, an evil grin spread across his face before he hid his face behind his hand for a moment before presenting a solemn face to her. He then proceeded to begin singing, "This is the song that doesn't end..."

"Oh stop!" She begged. "Michael sings that to NO end! And it's driven me to live with Sam and Jack!"

Liam laughed. "Any requests, madam?"

"Nope. I'm just here to appreciate." Cassie said, leaning back on her palms with her arms extended behind her.

"Hmmm..." he said, thinking of what she might like.

"I like acoustic stuff..." She added with a facetiously helpful look on her face.

Liam gave her a look before shaking his head. "Oh THAT helps!"

She broke into a grin. "Oh come on, at least I didn't tell you to break out the drums and start scatting!"

"True..." He said, chuckling.

Cassie's cell phone rang and she looked at Liam apologetically. He nodded, and she answered it. "Hello?"

"Cassie?"

"Mom! What's going on?" Cassie asked, somewhat confused.

"Nothing, sweetheart. Am I interrupting something?"

"I'm at Liam's, but if it's important..."

"Oh...no...Daniel and I were just going to throw a little party and were wondering if you could bring a date..."

"Mom?"

"Please...we're one man short! The party's tomorrow night at eight o' clock."

"Let me check." She said, sighing. She let the hand holding the cell phone fall to her side. "Liam, my mother is throwing a party and would like to know if I can bring a date. Wanna come?"

"Sure." He said, shrugging.

"Great." She said, smiling a VERY grateful smile in his direction.

"He's in, Mom."

"Fabulous." Janet said, obviously delighted. "Now...I would have gotten formal invitations out earlier, but..."

"What is it now, Mom?"

"It's a costume party...let me get your characters' names..."

Cassie closed her eyes in humiliation. "Is it really one of those "How to Host A Murder" parties?"

"Yes, it is."

Liam chuckled at the exchange, knowing exactly what he was getting himself in for now, having gone to one of those "How To Host A Murder" parties when Alan had thrown one with his girlfriend. Cassie motioned for a piece of paper and a pen. He quickly got them for her. "Okay. Our names?"

"Mona F'Amour and Daimon R. Foreva."

Cassie sighed. "Okay...but just so I can be prepared, did you give me the skank?"

Liam snorted and clapped a hand over his mouth quickly.

"Nope...that's me..." Janet said, chuckling. "Okay...we'll see you tomorrow night."

"Sure." Cassie said, taking another deep breath. She threw him a look as she closed the phone. "What?"

"Nothing..." He replied, trying not to smile.

"You're lying to me...What's so funny?"

"The idea of you being a skank..." He admitted, chuckling.

"I have been asked to play the skank before..." Cassie said, sighing. "And I've had enough of the role..."

"I honestly can't picture that..."

"Well, we're going to a costume shop, so...I could show you..." She said, a cheeky grin on her face. "You're going to be Daimon R. Foreva."

Liam raised an eyebrow. "Daimon R. Foreva? Oy..." he said.

"Oh, don't even start...you don't have MY name..."

"Lay it on me..."

She raised an eyebrow. "Okay...Mona F'Amour."

Liam cracked up.

"Yes, thank you, thank you, thank you..."

"I'm sorry, but that's funny!"

"Yes it is..."

"So...do you have some time to go costume shopping?"

"Sure! Let's go." Liam responded agreeably.

"Okay..." She said, with a smile. "This oughta be a lot of fun..."

"Sounds like it'll be...interesting at least." Liam laughed.

"Yes...and I have a feeling that my mother was lying to me about not giving me the skank..."

Liam snorted. "Let's hope not!"

"No, I have a feeling..." Cassie said, nodding. "Trust me...you can usually tell by the names...and there's ALWAYS one skank...if not two or three..."

"Wow..." Liam whistled.

"Oh yeah...usually it's kind of a "classy skank," but...I'll tell you, my mom and Daniel did a Shakespeare themed party...and oy...everyone was sleeping with one of the other characters...one of them was even pregnant by one."

"HA!"

"I was Mary, Queen of Schnapps. The pregnant drunk." She said, her eyebrows raised in humiliation. "Despite the fact that Sam was about six months pregnant at the time..."

Liam started laughing.

"What? Everyone thought it was funny, except my boyfriend at the time whose character was sleeping with my mom's character..."

This only served to make Liam laugh even harder.

"And Daniel, who gets more drunk after a glass of wine than after drinking a whole bottle of beer, started a brawl with said boyfriend..." She started chuckling, inadvertently. "It was a night to remember..."

"Oy..."

"Yeah...this oughta be interesting at the very least...however, I don't think you should be worried. A drunk Daniel can't hit anything except the wall..."

Liam giggled. "I'll keep that under advisement."

"It's kind of a...Halloween tradition...except it seems like SG-1 is going to be off on a mission on Halloween...not to mention the kids...but with Nick and Lena...this oughta be GREAT!"

"Oh boy...those two ought to have some FUN with this!" Liam commented dryly.

"No kidding...if my character ends up sleeping with his, neither of them are going to let me forget it..."

"Ewww! That is SO wrong!" Liam laughed.

"No kidding! He may be good looking, but...he's old enough to be my father!" She thought about it for a moment. "Well...maybe not...but he's a little older than my stepfather, which is still wrong!"

"Yeah, I've heard all about those PBS tapes..." Liam smirked.

What?" She asked, genuinely surprised.

"Your mom and Lena were talking about them one day."

She leaned back into the seat of the car, mocking humiliation. "There goes my reputation!"

Liam chuckled. "Hey, don't tell anybody, but I had a crush on Alan's mom once!"

She laughed outright. "Oh boy..."

"Yeah...Al STILL teases me about that..." he sighed.

She chuckled. "I have a feeling that if you stick around long enough, you'll hear PLENTY of jokes about me and the 'dancer boys.'"

"Dancer boys?" he queried curiously.

"Tony Dovolani, Jesse Desoto, Louis Van Amstel, Jonathan Roberts, Nick..."

Liam's brow furrowed. "Tony Dovolani...didn't he dance with Stacey Keibler-Elf on Dancing With The Stars last year?"

"Yes…" She said, trying not to crack up at the 'Keibler elf' designation. "And apparently, one of Nick's closest friends."

"Hmmm..."

"Yeah...of course, I have yet to meet this gem of a man..." She said, with a theatrical sigh. "I mean, what's the use having famous friends if they don't help you network?"

Liam chuckled. "As long as Nick introduces me to Cheryl Burke..."

She raised an eyebrow. "You DO go for the exotic, don't you?"

Liam shrugged. "Her or Kym Johnson..."

Cassie gave him a mock sniff of disdain as she got out of the car and walked ahead of him.

Liam hurried to catch up with her. "Of course, I could always grow a goatee..." he teased.

"I'm sorry...but it's the Chest that gets me..." She chuckled.

Liam sighed. "Guess I'd better hit the gym then..."

She chuckled. "Although the goatee isn't bad...nor is that sexy curl in the middle of his forehead..."

He crossed his arms over his chest. "Seesh! Maybe they should divorce...I'll take Lena and you get Nick."

"So...you like Lena?" She asked, an amused smile on her face.

"She's gorgeous, but more importantly, she's got a great soul...what's not to like?" He asked simply.

"Okay...but I think Nick and Lena are too attached to one another...what's our plan B?"

"Hmmm...cloning?" Liam offered.

She laughed. "Sorry...bad experiences with that one..."

"Okay...hmmm..." He pondered.

"I say we split the difference and just keep things the way they are..." Cassie said with a smile.

"Might as well."

"It's the only logical thing to do, of course." She said with a twinkle in her eye.

Liam nodded gravely. "Of course."

"All right...you're a Frenchman...in the 1920s I believe.."

"Coolness!" he said.

She shook her head. "Guys and their hats…"

"Oh that's right...you only go for guys with Manly Chests and low v's..." Liam shot back.

"Would you stop?" She asked, giggling.

He merely smirked and walked away humming "Miserlou."

She paused in absolute surprise before running up behind him. "That's not fair!" She hissed.

"What's not?" he replied, his eyes wide in mock innocence.

"Oh come on...you know EXACTLY what I'm talking about..."

Liam chuckled and this time started humming "Betece".

"Careful..." She warned. "Nick and Lena have taught me some...interesting dances...actually, I should probably say that they've been the cause for my...competence...I got three years of lessons from a friend of his..."

Liam smiled slightly. "I dance, but not ballroom!"

"Well...I guess I'll have to dance the Mambo with Jesse Desoto, the Mambo King..."

Liam shook his head. Just then, he saw a group of people gathering around a car that had the hip hop song "Promiscuous" blasting from it. Drawn to the beat, he walked over there and found that they were all people about his age just having a good old fashioned street dance. Closing his eyes, he let his body go.

Cassie watched in fascination. The man could move...

Liam looked up at her and moonwalked in a circle around her, causing the rapidly growing crowd to cheer him on.

"If you ever wanna learn ballroom, I'll be your partner." She offered quickly when he was finished.

Liam smiled. "Ballroom's not really my style..." he said bashfully.

"Oh...it could be." She said, nodding. "Particularly Latin..."

"Hmmm...maybe." He said, sounding thoughtful.

"Or American Rhythm,"

"I don't know...I'd have to compete with Tony and Jesse..."

"I think you'd do just fine..." She admitted.

"I'll think about it." He promised.

She shrugged off the sudden impulses running through her. A man who could dance was a BIG plus...

"Okay...we still don't have your costume." She said, switching gears.

"Yeah...let's go."

She nodded.

"There's a nice little vintage place right around the corner." She said, pointing to a little hole-in-the-wall place.

"That would be a good place to start."

"Yeah...we might actually find some things from the 1920s..."

"Maybe..." Liam commented, opening the door for her,

"Thank you." She said with a smile as they walked inside.

"No problem."

She walked inside, and maneuvered her way straight to the section entitled "1920." Within a few minutes, she'd found a couple of flapper dresses.

Liam's outfit wasn't at all much harder. He had some things at home that would work, but in the meantime, they shopped for the perfect accessories. In the hat bin, they found a French beret, and in the odds and ends bin, they managed to find a jeweler's loupe. They also found many pieces of male costume jewelry. "Lena's going to be quite jealous…" She remarked.

"Really?"

"Yes…I think you may just have more jewels than she has…" She chuckled.

"Really?" He laughed.

She nodded before motioning to the dresses in her hands. "Wanna help me choose which one to get?"

Liam looked at the dresses in panic. "I'm a man...I'm not good with this stuff!"

"No...I'm gonna put them all on, and just tell me which one you like best..." She said, chuckling. "Don't panic...yet..." She teased. "Panic when I ask you if it makes me look fat."

"Ahhh!" Liam cried in mock horror.

"Don't worry...I save that for my serious boyfriends..." She said, ducking into the dressing room.

"Whew..." Liam sighed in relief.

"Although, if you keep being so charming...you may hit the top of the list REALLY soon..."

"Eeek!"

She laughed despite the barrier between them. "I'll try not to ask you that question...darling."

Liam's eyes bugged out as he heard her call him 'darling.'

She was finished dressing by now, and opened the door to reveal the sleeveless, knee-length red sequined dress. "What's wrong, Liam?"

"Darling?"

"I was teasing…" She said, chuckling.

"Right…" He laughed, nervously.

"What? You thought I was serious? This is our second date, for cryin' out loud!"

He shrugged. "It's been a day of ups and downs…"

She chuckled. "I know…so…the dress? Should I get it?"

He smacked his palm to his forehead. "I told you…I'm a man…I don't know about these things…"

She shook her head and twirled the pearls she'd placed around her neck to complete the look as she walked over to him. "As a man, do I look attractive in this dress?"

"That's a trick question, isn't it?" He asked, almost sweating.

She chuckled. "It doesn't have to be."

She walked down the hall, the dress emphasizing the slenderness of her figure and the shapeliness of her legs. "I don't know…" She said, looking in the mirror. "I'm just not sure it's my color…"

"Oh…it's your color." Liam said, his voice low.

She turned and chuckled. "In that case, Mr. Harris…I'll take that as your answer. This one it is…"

She went back to change back into her street clothes when a thought occurred to Liam. "Cassandra?"

"Yes?" She called from behind the door.

"Why is it that they need guys for this thing? I mean, if anything I would expect that they needed more gals…I mean, there's T, the General, and Dr. Jackson…add Nick, and you have four guys…"

She walked out of the room, dress in hand. "Number one…T doesn't do How to Host a Murder…"

"What?"

"Trust me…you don't want him to think that a real murder has been committed…he goes all…PI on you…"

"Are you serious?"

She nodded. "He's a BIG fan of Sherlock Holmes, but his FAVORITE is Sam Spade."

"Sam Spade?"

"Oh…yeah. He just can't put down any of those books down…"

"Who'd have thunk?"

"Well, we're still trying to figure out what exactly happened the ONE time that Mom and Daniel had him over for a "How To Host A Murder" party."

"Okay…something tells me that I need to hear this story…"

"You probably do…" She said, as she paid for the dress. "It's a classic."

They walked back out to the car and Liam opened the door for her. She was yet again touched by his gentlemanly behavior. "Thank you."

He smiled before closing the door. "You're very welcome."

As he got into the driver's side of the car, she chuckled. "Oh my gosh…I was about twelve years old when my mom and Daniel decided that it was time for SG-1 to have a Halloween tradition of some kind. I mean, Christmas was always spent at Jack's house…still is, I think…anyway, that's neither here nor there. Well, Halloween is one of my mom's favorite holidays because she gets to dress up, so she roped Daniel into helping her host this. They invited Jack, Sam, Teal'c, General Hammond, and a couple of the nurses from the infirmary.

"Well, they did "The Chicago Caper" and Teal'c was Eddie "Socks" R. Gyle."

Liam chuckled. "Argyle socks? That was his name?"

She nodded. "He didn't get the reference…"

"Oh boy…"

"Anyway, as the game progressed, he became more and more concerned that a murder had actually been committed…Sam and Jack's characters had an affair…"

"Well, that's irony for you…" Liam chuckled again.

"Oh yes, well…Teal'c spent the rest of the evening trying to cover up any times that they might have actually…been together…to the General."

"How do you know all of this?"

"My mom let out the alcohol, and they were so loud that I couldn't sleep…so I watched them instead."

"Ah…"

"But just wait…it gets better!" She laughed.

"Oh boy…"

"It turned out that my mom was the murderer. Teal'c stood up right then, and stared her down with an intimidating look."

"Oh, I thought he did that naturally…"

"Yes, well, this one was on purpose…" She finished. "My mom just about freaked. Then, Teal'c turned to General Hammond."

"Oh boy…"

"He said that he didn't sense the presence of a goa'uld, but that that didn't mean that she wasn't possessed by some parasite."

"Oh, he didn't!"

"He did!" She laughed. "And Jack tried to convince him that it was all just a game, but Teal'c just turned and said that he had noticed some questionable behavior between him and Sam which indicated that not everything was as false as it seemed to be…General Hammond politely forgot that any of them were in the Air Force that evening…"

"Oy, I would have conveniently forgotten that too…"

"Yeah…well, they finally convinced Teal'c that it was just a game, and then, Teal'c just looked at them all like they were crazy. He wasn't exactly amused by the game."

Liam shook his head. "So…what does he do while everyone else plays the game?"

"Well, for the last six years or so, he's taken to baby-sitting."

"Sometimes, that's MUCH safer..." Liam chuckled.

"As far as anyone who enjoys the game is concerned, having Teal'c teaching the kids Jaffa games IS much safer!" Cassie agreed.


	11. Midnight Mysteries

_Just a little note from the co-author, Rose Stetson: _

_This is turning out to be an epic with action, romance, dancing, engagements, weddings, dancing, elopings, angst, dancing, tough family fall-out, and...did I mention dancing? I'm just kidding...I'm just warning you all that this story is approximately 200 pages with no end in sight! And some of it is written in bits and pieces that are not connected just yet. But we're working on it as fast as our busy schedules will allow._

_However, about the How To Host A Murder party...I have not played THIS episode, so, I am not giving away the REAL killer (to my knowledge)...but it is a fun game with lots of intrigue and mystery...as well as a few surprises..._

_And, the song is entitled "Dream A Little Dream Of Me." I don't know who actually wrote it, but Louis Armstrong is one of the performers of this jazz standard. _

_Look for a new face in upcoming chapters who may be familiar to you if you have seen "Shall We Dance?" and "Dancing With The Stars!"_

_Well, that's enough of a long-winded speech from me...thanks for the reviews...kind of disappointed that this story isn't doing as well as we'd hoped, however...tell friends and family...would love to see more reviews per chapter..._

_Happy Holidays!_

_-Rose Stetson _

* * *

Liam arrived at the O'Neill residence to pick Cassandra up at seven-thirty the next evening. He was wearing khaki slacks and a maroon turtleneck with a dark brown beret on his head. He also wore a brown jacket and the jeweler's loupe. 

She opened the door, dressed in the red flapper dress, heels, and pearls. "Liam!"

"Hello...are you ready to go make some trouble?" He asked, chuckling.

She twirled her beads as she walked over to pick up her purse and hat. "Almost."

"I have a feeling this could be a VERY interesting night..."

Lena walked out wearing one of her old costumes with a great many sparkling jewels. "Liam!" She greeted.

"Hey Lena." He said good naturedly.

"I didn't know you were going to be at our little soiree..."

"I was kinda...roped into it at the last minute." He replied, looking over at Cassie.

Cassie chuckled. "We both were."

Liam leaned over to Cassie. "Hmmm...I wonder who you're going to have to sit next to at dinner..." He teased.

"Probably you..." She said, a knowing look on her face. "It's kind of segregated by who's dating/married to whom..."

"Or who are killing bed bugs together..." He snickered.

"Liam!" She said, slapping his arm playfully. "You don't even know until the end when everyone just blushes furiously and gets the humiliation over with..."

He smirked.

"Besides, you and I might be killing bed bugs together." She said, placing the hat on her head carefully.

"Hmmm...I could live with that..." He said seductively.

"You might have to..."

"Easiest thing I've ever had to live with!" He quipped.

She took his arm after checking her appearance in the mirror. "Well, Mr. Foreva, shall we?"

"Of course." He responded in a cheesy French accent.

She chuckled. "Zen let's go." She responded mimicking the accent.

He opened the door for her and followed closely after.

Lena, who had been watching from the hallway chuckled. "Nick!" She called.

"Yeah?"

"I think it's working..."

He walked out, adjusting his captain's hat. "Of course is it...I set them up, didn't I?" He asked smugly.

She handed him his cane and kissed his cheek. "Yes, sir."

He raised an eyebrow. "We'd better be going, Jewel Queen..."

She glared at him, her own eyebrow raised. "Jewel Queen? What? I'm TWO musical sensations?"

"Yes, but I think you're wearing about half of your costume jewelry tonight!" Nick chuckled.

"No, darling, only about a tenth of the Crown Jewels..." She chuckled.

"Which I paid for..." He grumbled playfully as he got his coat.

"Careful..." She said, holding his cane as he put it on. "Or you just might have to miss my exclusive premiere...and I only give that to one person..."

"I see...like the highest bidder?" He asked before racing away as quickly as he could.

"NICHOLAS!"

"Yes my love?" He asked, poking his head around the corner, a curl in the middle of his forehead and full accent out.

She clenched her fists as her emotions did a complete 180.

He chuckled when he heard the familiar guttural sounds of the Russian language coming from his wife's vocal chords.

"I am NOT an evil man." He said, smirking.

"Depends on who you ask." She said, walking past him still growling.

"Elena, no me digas." He said, whispering this Spanish phrase into her ear as he helped her get her own coat on.

Her stomach started turning knots as she felt herself remember just how much she loved this man next to her.

"Are you ready?" He asked softly, his cane in hand.

"Yes."

He offered her his arm and gave her the smile that he only reserved for her.

Jack and Sam had designated themselves as the couple to wait for Teal'c to arrive. He'd been unable to get there at quarter of eight, because of a mission he'd undertaken with SG-3. Now, he was on his way to watch the kids. Sam had borrowed a great many of Lena's necklaces and bracelets and had accentuated the slim-fitting straight gown.

Jack on the other hand, wore a red smoking jacket and the pair of black pants from his tuxedo. "Sam, you almost ready?" He asked as Teal'c arrived.

"Almost." She answered as she carefully fitted the tiara into her hair.

"I just hope Daniel doesn't get drunk again this year..." Jack laughed.

"Then, you better hide the scotch." She chuckled.

"Already did!"

"And the wine? Is it watered down?"

"Yep."

"Except...it's at HIS house...

"I had Janet go ahead and do it."

"Nice." She said, imitating his Burns voice.

"Oh yes, precious." Jack said, camping it up in his best Gollum.

She took his arm. "Let's go..."

He nodded. "Let's get this party started..."

She shook her head. "Well, T, they're all yours!"

The Jaffa inclined his head to her. "I shall enjoy looking after them. Have...fun."

"You sure you don't wanna switch?" jack asked looking at the other man.

"Indeed, O'Neill."

"You're gonna miss one heck of a party!"

"And for this, I am glad..." Teal'c replied dryly.

Jack turned to his wife. "You know, the more I get to know him, the more I realize that I will never understand him..."

She chuckled. "Jack, stop being sarcastic...Teal'c, we should be back around eleven or so.."

"At what time should the children be placed into their sleeping quarters?"

"Around nine...it's a special night..." Sam said, chuckling. "And Michael is staying with the boys..."

When Sam and Jack arrived at the Jackson residence, they were less than surprised to find everyone else there already. After all, they'd all left from the same place...

However, they were amused to find Janet and Daniel in costume.

Janet, or "Cosette La Torchier," was dressed in an elegant business suit while Daniel or Holden Von Piston, wore a 1920s riding jacket and goggles a top his head.

Nick was there as the dashing Captain and Lena had most of her "crown jewels" as everyone called them on.

Her name tag read "Donna Mata Tomei."

Liam and Cassie or Daimon R. Foreva and Mona F'Amour were speaking with Nick and Lena in the corner.

"Hey kids." Jack said.

"Mr. Yors." Daniel said, a tiny smirk on his face.

"That's Upton Yours to you, Mister." Jack replied loftily. Nick snickered softly while Liam merely smiled.

"It's "Up Yors" for short." Sam snickered as she took off her jacket.

Jack grinned. "Yeah…what she said."

"Miss Sonovabich." Daniel said, taking her coat with a bow.

"You can call me Sasha." She said, with a chuckle.

Nick bit his lip to keep from laughing out loud and Lena pinched him lightly on the arm. "Behave." She admonished.

"It's all right, Lena...we're all adults." Sam said, walking down the stairs and into the living room.

"Some of us are still children, I think..." she laughed, sashaying into the room.

"Oh, I think I'd know if you were still a child." Nick said, suggestively.

Liam raised an eyebrow. "Well, it IS sometimes difficult to see in the dark..." he said innocently.

There was chuckling all around as Nick and Lena both blushed at the young man's comment.

"Nice to have you around...finally SOMEONE who can shut those two up..." Jack said, nudging Nick's good leg with his foot.

"Playing footsie with Nick now, huh?" Liam shot back.

"Liam, you're on a roll!" Sam chuckled. "Janet, you wouldn't happen to have a glass of water, would you?"

Jack cuddled up to Sam, an expression of disgust on his face. Nick did a whole body shudder that made everyone chuckle as Janet went to go get the glass of water. "I'm observant...what can I say?" the young man replied smugly.

Cassie shook her head as she took Liam's hand and led him to the other couch, where they proceeded to sit.

He grinned cheekily at her and stretched slowly.

She took the opportunity to put her arms around his middle and cuddle up to him.

He allowed his right arm to come around her and pull her right up against his side. "I have captured someone..." he said, sounding surprised.

She raised an eyebrow with a cheeky smile. "Nobody that didn't already want to be caught..."

"Excellent." he said smugly.

"Okay...enough with the puppy love..." Jack begged. "I'm going to die of cuteness!"

"Awwww...poor Jacksy." Liam said in a baby talk tone of voice. Nick almost bust a gut laughing.

Janet returned, handing Sam the glass. "Thank you."

Everyone else was cracking up as Jack gave Liam the evil eye. "I know where you work.." he warned.

"And I know who you're married to." Liam answered.

Sam grinned. "I think he's got you there..."

Jack turned. "Whose side on you on, anyway?!?"

"I'm on whichever side is the safest...it's not just about me anymore, now is it?"

"Sadly now...if it were all about you, everything would be beauty and light." Nick said, his statement reconfirming his Australian heritage.

"Somehow, Nick, I don't think that's what she meant..." Lena said with a smile.

Nick shrugged. "Compliments never hurt anyone."

"And thank you, Nick." Sam said, with a smile as she pulled her tender gaze away from her husband's face.

He bowed as low as his leg would allow. "Not a problem."

"Congratulations." Lena said, pulling Nick onto one of the seats.

He raised an eyebrow. "For what?" Her husband asked curiously as the O'Neills merely grinned in response.

"Nick...you really are dense sometimes..." She said, kissing his cheek. "Sam just told us that she was expecting."

His eyes widened. "Oy...I really AM a stupid man!"

Lena looked at him with a teasing grin. "Can I get that in writing?"

"That's okay..." Daniel said, a somewhat surprised look on his face. "I didn't get it either."

"And I only got it because she told Cassandra and me yesterday." Liam said, sheepishly.

The men turned to him. "And you didn't say something to US so we wouldn't look like schmucks?!?" Nick cried in mock outrage.

"I'm sorry...I was embarrassed!" Liam said, with a shrug. "And…to be honest, it wasn't until Cassandra explained what she'd just said, that I finally realized what she'd been trying to say…"

"Mmm hmmm." Nick replied, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Well, I did try to make it sound like they had less than innocent intentions." Sam admitted.

"You scarred Liam?" Jack asked.

"Not intentionally!" she said.

"Hey, after hanging around you guys, NOTHING scars me anymore!" Liam added helpfully.

"Thank your lucky stars." Daniel muttered under his breath.

Liam looked over at Daniel. "Like you have any room to talk...those storage closets are roomy, eh?"

Daniel and Janet turned red as Daniel coughed. "So...let's get this party started..."

Liam grinned as Nick gave him a discreet high five. Being observant had its advantages sometimes...

"Oh, Daniel?" Lena began. "Danny wanted to tell you that you and Janet need to get blackout windows for your car..."

Daniel looked at Janet, who turned a DEEP red. "Ummm...we'll get right on that..." The archaeologist stammered.

Sam and Jack chuckled. "You probably should..."

Daniel closed his eyes and felt his face. "I think I'm about 105..." He groaned.

"Really?" Lena asked, cheekily. "I could have sworn you were in your late thirties...you're looking really good for 105..."

Daniel chuckled as Liam added, "And even if he meant temperature wise, wouldn't that pretty much count as spontaneous human combustion?"

Janet nodded. "Yep." She turned back to Daniel. "Sorry, hon, but...you can't be 105..."

"Darn..."

"Isn't it about time to get this party started?" Cassie asked, looking around the room. "I mean...one of us is a killer...and the longer we sit around and wait, the more opportunity he has to strike..."

Just then, there was a clap of thunder, and Jack looked up at the sky. "Thor, buddy...we're trying to play a game..."

Everyone chuckled at the double-meaning of his message to the skies.

"I don't know about you, but I'm not so eager to die..." Nick said dryly.

"What if you're the killer, darling?" Lena asked, perched precariously on his good leg. "Who would you choose to be your first victim?"

Nick looked over at Lena and grinned wickedly, his face saying it all.

"ACK!" Jack said, standing up quickly and running over to the boom box. "Play, darn it!" He yelled as he pressed the 'play' button.

"Jack, it's a CD..." Janet said, smiling.

"I don't care if it's an 8 track..."

"Jack, hon, push the OTHER play button." Sam said, smiling.

"Oh."

"Either that or you could always jump on the hamster wheel to give it a little juice..." Liam suggested.

"Thank you." Jack said, looking over at the first lieutenant.

Just then, the tape began to play, detailing the crime that had been committed. All of the adults stood and got their books, from which they read the clues about their characters and about the other characters around them.

--

Teal'c walked into the boys' room to find all of his charges playing with the Legos.

"Good evening."

"Hello." Danny greeted solemnly.

"Daniel Kosovich, how are you faring this fine evening?"

"Fine, thank you."

"That is very good news. And Grace O'Neill? How do you fare?"

"Fine, Uncle Teal'c."

"Uncle T, can you help me?" Nicky asked, holding up the two Legos that were stuck. "I can't get them apart!"

"Certainly, Nicholas." Teal'c replied, taking the Legos from the boy.

"Thanks!

"It was my pleasure."

"Teal'c, what's that on your forehead?" Tommy asked, having the observant eyes of his father.

"It is a symbol of my servitude as the First Prime of Apophis."

"Who's Apophis?" Grace asked as all the kids swarmed around the Jaffa.

"He was an evil System Lord...if you are well behaved, I shall tell you the story when you retire to slumber."

"Is that like a Sith?" Tommy asked, his eyes wide. He'd been around Teal'c long enough to be able to quote Star Wars like there was no tomorrow.

"And are our mommies and daddies like Jedi Knights?" Michael asked, curiously.

"Indeed."

"My mom's Leia!" Grace yelled.

"Your dad is DEFINITELY Han Solo." Danny observed wisely.

"Yes!" Grace said, pulling her elbow toward the ground in extreme speed and strength.

Danny shook his head and merely smiled.

--

By the time they'd reached the dinner course they had discovered that Captain Mal DeMeirre (Nick) was up to no good, and Donna Mata Tomei (Lena) had purchased her fame in questionable ways.

Meanwhile, Mona F'Amour (Cassie) had been secretly meeting Daimon R. Foreva (Liam) and that the deceased had been about to spill the beans of their secret midnight rendezvous to the group.

Upton Yors (Jack) was hitting on Mona F'Amour and giving Damien the evil eye, much to the amusement of everyone else.

"So...what if this was real life?" Daniel finally asked during the soup course.

"It would be SO wrong!" Nick said, laughing.

"No kidding!" Jack shuddered. "I'm hitting on my niece for cryin' out loud!"

"And I'm Lena's guest! What am I? Her lover?" Liam asked, almost whining.

"You'd better not be..." Nick joked, brandishing the cane in a threatening manner.

Lena gave Liam a seductive wink. "Of course not, Darling." She said, returning her attention back to her husband.

Liam shivered.

Meanwhile, Cassie chuckled. "And...I don't know about you all, but I'd like to learn something incriminating about Mom and Daniel's characters..."

"Yeah...make it a little more fair..." Jack grumbled.

"We can't help it if we can keep secrets..." Janet said, daintily sipping at the soup in her spoon.

"Uh huh." Liam said, snickering.

"Oh come on...it's not like you guys are doing anything except parroting what your book says..." Daniel admitted.

"True..." Lena agreed.

"So...what HAVE you two been hiding?" Nick asked, leaning his weight on one elbow toward Janet as though she held some great secret in the depths of her mind that only his charm could coerce her into sharing.

Janet stared at him for a moment. "Resist him!" Daniel hissed playfully.

"I...can't divulge that information, even to you, Captain DeMeirre."

"Are you sure? I'm FANTASTIC at keeping secrets..." He said, leaning even closer.

She steeled herself as she looked back down at her soup. "I may have...come into some...questionable...inheritance...quite the sum...

"I see." Nick purred.

"JANET!" Daniel moaned.

Nick gave Daniel a smug smile before turning his attention back to the woman in question. "Care to tell me more? I'm completely at your disposal..."

"I don't have any more to tell..." She whispered quietly, her face turning redder and redder the closer he got to her.

Reaching out a hand, Nick tilted her eyes up to meet his. "You have nothing to fear from me..." He whispered.

"Okay, Nick...that's enough!" Lena said, pulling him away.

"Come on! I was on a roll!" He complained.

"Yeah, well, poor Janet is about ready to throw herself into your lap." Lena said with a chuckle. "Did you REALLY want that?"

"Hmmm..." Nick said, pretending to ponder the merits of this suggestion.

Lena whopped him upside the head.

"Owwww! Husband abuse!" He cried.

"Sorry, Nick, you asked for it!" Sam smiled.

"I NEVER ask for that, but I still get it anyway!" He said, rubbing his head.

"Oh...you asked for it!" Jack said, chuckling. "Just PRETENDING that you wanted Janet to jump you was asking for it..."

"I never said I wanted her to jump me, now did I? I have PLENTY of people hop in my lap on a regular basis and I don't get smacked for that!"

Lena shrugged. "I was doing you a favor...I hear Daniel has a mean right hook."

Nick shot her an amused look. "I was talking about Louis, darling..."

"Louis jumped in your lap?!? When?!?" she demanded.

"A couple years ago...remember how scared he is of bees?"

"Oh...EWWWW..." She shuddered. "I didn't smack you then because you were smacking yourself..."

"Hey, I did NOT ask for that to happen!" He protested.

"No...you didn't...but you were pretty...willful about hitting on Janet."

"It's all a part of the game, woman!"

"Okay...let's stop talking about how vulnerable Janet gets..." Janet finished.

"Agreed." Nick said firmly.

"Well, to change the subject..." Cassandra said, interrupting. "I found it interesting that I saw Captain DeMeirre running away from the boat last night..."

Nick arched an eyebrow. "It couldn't have been me..." He said, holding up his cane.

"Oh...I know it was you..." Cassie said with a gleam in her eye. "You keep insisting that you have a war injury, and yet...you hardly walk with a limp at all..."

"My dear, if you would care to examine my leg..." Nick said suggestively.

"Well, I would have thought that you would give Sasha that opportunity." Liam piped in.

"I'm an equal opportunity employer." Nick shot back with a devilish grin.

"I should know," Sam shot back. "I came for one of our business meetings and found him with Donna."

"What can I say?" He shrugged. "And as for our dear race car driver over there, I find it interesting that you don't play the poker tables down at the club anymore..."

Daniel looked somewhat alarmed. "What? I never played poker..."

"Working the tables for the ladies, my good man..."

"How DID you pay for your start in your career?" Sam asked, an eyebrow carefully arched. "As I recall, you're from one of the poorest families in the area."

"I...was able to do some fundraising." Daniel answered defensively.

"Fundraising? You swindled good women out of their fortunes...WIDOWS no less!" Nick tutted.

"I didn't ask them to give me their fortunes..." Daniel finished defensively. "They volunteered them.

"Right..." Nick drawled sarcastically.

"Right...so I think it's about time for the next round." Sam said, as she took a sip of water.

--

"It is time for you to retire." Teal'c said, after having quite the Star Wars discussion with the kids.

"Awwww..." Grace said.

"Okay." Danny said, with a smile. "But Uncle T, can we sing a song first?"

Teal'c arched an eyebrow. "What sort of vocal selection did you have in mind, Daniel Kosovich?"

"Well...just a little song that I like...'Dream A Little Dream Of Me...'" He finished, shyly.

"I apologize Daniel Kosovich. I am unfamiliar with that selection." The Jaffa bowed.

"I've never heard that song…" Grace said, as she laid down on the floor.

"Well, I know it…" Danny said, sitting on the floor beside her. "May I sing it?"

"Indeed." Teal'c nodded.

The little boy cleared his throat, and began to sing.

_Stars shining bright above you;  
Night breezes seem to whisper "I love you?"  
Birds singing in the sycamore tree.  
Dream a little dream of me._

_Say nighty-night and kiss me;  
Just hold me tight and tell me you'll miss me.  
While I'm alone, blue as can be,  
Dream a little dream of me._

_Stars fading but I linger on, dear---  
Still craving your kiss.  
I'm longing to linger till dawn, dear,  
Just saying this..._

_Sweet dreams till sunbeams find you---  
Sweet dreams that leave all worries behind you.  
But in your dreams, whatever they be,  
Dream a little dream of me._

_Stars fading but I linger on, dear---  
Still craving your kiss.  
I'm longing to linger till dawn, dear,  
Just saying this..._

_Sweet dreams till sunbeams find you---  
Sweet dreams that leave all worries far behind you.  
But in your dreams, whatever they be,  
Dream a little dream of me._

He heard soft snoring come from beside him to find Grace lying on the floor, asleep. All of his companions were also asleep, and he looked up at Teal'c. "They're asleep now, Uncle T."

"Thank you, Daniel Kosovich."

He nodded, gravely as he returned to his bed and Teal'c bent to pick Grace up and take her to her bed.

"Good night." Teal'c said as he turned out the light.

"Good night, Uncle T."

--

It was nearly midnight before the adults were finished with their game. Nick's character, Captain Mal DeMeirre had indeed been the murderer, and his accomplice and lover had been Janet's character, Cosette LeTorchier.

Sam yawned as she snuggled closer to Jack on the couch. "That was fun."

"Yeah…it was." Liam agreed. "I wasn't quite sure what to expect, but I'll have to admit that was better than anything that I could have imagined."

Cassie laughed.

"What?" He asked, confused.

"That just sounded…questionable." She chuckled.

"Thanks." He said, with a seductive grin.

Janet and Daniel passed around coffee, which Sam declined, and then sat down. "So…does this beat the first time we played?"

Sam and Jack laughed. "Oh yes."

Nick and Lena looked at one another, confused. "What happened then?"

"We invited Teal'c."

Their eyes widened in understanding of the disaster that would have been. "Oy."

"Take the image in your mind and multiply it by ten!" Daniel informed the couple.

They shuddered in contemplation. "That does NOT sound good…"

"It wasn't." Janet confirmed. "Teal'c thought that I was host to some alien entity because he thought that I had ACTUALLY killed someone, and General Hammond had to pretend that he wasn't Air Force because Sam and Jack's characters were having an affair and Teal'c pointed out the obvious real life attraction that they shared."

"Oy." Lena exclaimed, leaning her head on her husband's shoulder.

"Yeah…it was REALLY fun to try and explain that to Teal'c, let me tell you." Jack said, chuckling.

They sat in companionable silence for a few moments before Liam stretched reluctantly. "Well, I'm sorry, but I've got to go…if I stick around any longer, I'll fall asleep…" He chuckled.

Nick looked at Lena, whose eyes were closed as her head leaned on his shoulder. "And it's about time that I tucked Sleeping Beauty in…"

"Watch it." She murmured, sleepily.

"Yes, my liege," He chuckled.

"That's more like it…"

A soft snore came from the other side of the room and all heads turned to see Sam sleeping on Jack's shoulder. "Well, I think it's time for us all to head home…"

Liam stood and helped Cassie get off the couch. As they walked over toward the door, he turned to Janet and Daniel. "Thank you for inviting me to this little party."

"You're welcome. Thank you for coming." Janet said with a smile.

As the other couples made their way toward their cars, Janet turned to Daniel. "Do you really want to do the dishes right now?"

"Nope." Daniel said with a cheeky wink. "They'll keep until tomorrow, but…" He came up close to her as his lips barely brushed her ear. "I have an idea of something that won't…"

Janet shivered. "What'd you have in mind?" She asked, somewhat breathlessly.

"Let me show you…"

The dishes waited until LATE the next morning.


	12. Plotting: And More Matchmaking!

It had been a fairly uneventful two and a half months while SG-1 tried to gather intelligence on the situation on Hanor, get a temporary commander for SG-1, and while they waited for Nick's leg to heal. While they were all on edge to a certain degree about the situation on Hanor, no one was quite as nervous as Kinsah…he still had immediate family on the planet, and as the leader of his people, he felt responsible for their well-being. 

However, 'uneventful' changed almost the instant that Tony Dovolani arrived at the O'Neill home. He emerged from the taxi that had brought him to the address that Nick had given him last week and shrugged. Hopefully his friend was here, or things were going to be VERY awkward.

Giving the driver his money and a decent tip, he walked up the driveway and knocked hesitantly on the door.

The door opened. "Hello?" The blond pregnant woman asked as she opened the door.

"Hello, my name is Tony Dovolani...is Nick Kosovich here?"

There was a squeak from behind her as a young woman with light colored hair came racing around the corner. "Oh my gosh! Tony Dovolani!" She said, excited.

He smiled at her. "That'd be me...and just who might you be?"

"I'm Cassandra Frasier." She replied, holding out a hand.

Tony bowed low and kissed it. "Hej, Cassandra." He said, sounding very Albanian.

She tried to fight it, but suddenly, a girlish giggle escaped her lips. "Nice to meet you, Tony."

Nick hobbled over to the door where the whole house was congregating. "Okay, Tony, stop flirting with Cassandra...she's already spoken for..."

Tony grinned at the sight of his friend, then looked concerned as he noticed the cane in the dancer's hand. "Nick, are you ok? What happened?"

"I'm fine." He said, brushing away the questions as Cassie looked down at her feet in shame.

The dancer saw this and correctly surmised that there had been an accident of some kind and made a mental note to not ask. "So who's the lucky guy?" He asked Cassie lightly.

Liam walked out. "Uh...I think that'd be me...unless Cassandra wants to trade in the non-dancing model for the award-winning dancing model..." He teased, his arm snaking around Cassandra's waist. "I'm Liam Harris." He said, extending his free arm to the dancer.

Tony chuckled. "Nice to meet you. I'm Tony Dovolani."

Liam gave a mock sigh. "Oh, believe me...I know..."

Even though Tony had a darker complexion, everyone could see him blushing. "Thanks...I think..."

Cassie gently elbowed Liam in the ribs. "Be nice..." She quickly turned back to the Albanian. "What brings you to Colorado Springs?"

"I was in town for a competition and hadn't seen Nick in a while, so I thought I could stop by and say hi while I was here."

"Well, it's good to see you. But let's move this party inside, shall we?" Nick said, as he pulled his friend inside, past the crowd.

"Sure..." Tony replied, careful to avoid jostling Nick's leg.

The back door opened, and Sam turned to find Jack returning with Grace, Danny, Tommy, Nicky, and Michael. At the sight of "Uncle Tony" the Kosovich boys broke into a run. "UNCLE TONY!" They cried.

"Hey boys!" Tony replied happily, getting down on both of his knees so as to be closer to their height. They both launched themselves at him so enthusiastically that all three of them fell over backwards.

Lena walked in a few steps behind the group, and she saw only part of the exchange. The boys had tackled some poor unfortunate soul, and she didn't even know who it was.

As they pulled themselves back to a sitting position, she saw a glimpse of the man's hair and face. "Tony!' She cried, happily.

He grinned and waved cheerfully at her, his arms still full of two giggling little boys.

Sam, Jack, Daniel, Janet, Cassie, Liam, Kinsah, Rihana, Alan, Michael, Grace, and Nicky just watched the proceedings, happy to see the obviously joyful reunion.

"Okay you two, Uncle Tony is getting too old for this." The dancer said with a fake groan as he got up again.

Nick snorted. "YOU'RE getting old..."

Shooting his friend a sly smile, Tony merely shrugged eloquently before kneeling down in front of Grace. "Who is this lovely young lady?" He asked seriously.

Grace looked at him almost in awe. "Grace."

Tony smiled at her. "Pleased to meet you, Grace." He responded, kissing her small hand.

"I think Grace has officially dumped Liam." Lena whispered to Sam, who chuckled.

"Hey, I heard that!" Liam said, mocking incense.

Grace surprised everyone by leaning forward and hugging Tony, who returned the impetuous embrace with a slight smirk directed at Liam.

"Grace!" Liam said, feigning hurt. "I didn't get a hug when I came over!"

Grace looked at him. "You belong to Cassie now...Tony doesn't belong to anybody!" She said happily.

Cassie chuckled with the rest of the adults as Liam blushed.

Tony also turned a slight reddish hue before scooping Grace up into his arms easily. She twined her arms around his neck, looking almost smug.

Lena looked over at her boys, and was somewhat surprised to see a small scowl on the lips of her eldest son. "Uh oh," she whispered.

Looking over, Tony caught sight of the slight scowl on Danny's face and whispered something in the little girl's ear. She grinned and once Tony had set her down, she raced over to Danny and hugged him too.

"Hey, all of us unclaimed guys should get hugs." Tony said nonchalantly.

Tommy looked at Grace, with almost a look of disgust. "Uh...no thanks."

Grace gave him the evil eye and Tony gave Tommy a glare of his own. Sighing, the little boy hugged Grace quickly and ran off to play with his Legos.

Michael and Nicky also received hugs, which sadly, didn't do much to restore a smile to Danny's face.

And, of course, being the quintessential Daddy's little girl, Grace HAD to give her father a hug before returning to her seat on Tony's lap.

While Tony looked slightly uncomfortable, Nick hobbled over to his wife and whispered, "What do you think about Tony and Ria Sangford?"

She looked at her husband. "Do you ever stop matchmaking?"

"Only when I'm asleep." He shot back.

"And how often have you ACTUALLY been asleep?" She asked with a knowing grin.

"Oy, Nick... Lena...not in front of the kids!" Jack begged.

Nick gave her a smirk.

"Hey, it's not my fault that I'm irresistibly charming." Nick said in response to Jack's request.

Tony made a gagging noise that had all the children giggling.

"Okay, Nick...just...stop the scarring...RIGHT now!" Tony said, smiling.

Nick sighed. "The sacrifices I make for my friends..."

Tony snickered. "Do I get to sign the cast?" He asked, motioning to Nick's leg.

"Maybe...if you behave." Nick replied.

Biting his lip to keep back what he REALLY wanted to say, Tony merely nodded and focused his eyes on the ceiling so he wouldn't lose it!

"Was that a promise?" Liam asked, almost seriously.

A snort escaped Tony and he could no longer hold his laughter in. Everyone gave him a bemused look, but the adults had a fairly good idea of what was going on and were grateful that the dancer had restrained himself!

The kids just looked at the adults, curious looks in their eyes and Daniel and Janet took this opportunity to herd the children back outside so they wouldn't be utterly scarred before they turned seven.

Nick turned to Sam. "Tony and Ria...what do you think?"

"Oh...Ria...the nurse in the infirmary who was raped by the airman last year?" She asked, turning to Jack, who nodded.

"The same one...sweet girl who could use a gentleman..."

Sam nodded. "Yep. I think Tony would be great for her!"

Nick grinned widely and Tony looked at him suspiciously. "Nick, you're plotting again...I can tell."

"What? Me? Plotting? NEVER."

Giving an undignified snort, the Albanian muttered, "Yeah, and Alain Doucet is as pure as the driven snow..."

"Hey...THAT was just low!" Nick said, raising an eyebrow in the direction of his friend. "I'm NOTHING like Alain Doucet!"

Tony rolled his eyes. "No kidding, dude."

Nick eyed his friend for a moment before taking a deep breath and exhaling slowly. "Sorry Tony...you know how I feel about him."

Tony nodded wisely. "Yeah, I do...now tell me what you're plotting!"

He smirked. "That's for me to know and for you to lie awake and wonder about..."

"Oy vey..." Tony groaned, smacking his forehead with his open palm.

Nick just grinned. "So...how was the competition?"

"It went well...Elena and I got first." He said proudly.

"Good for you."

Though it had been a few years since he and Lena had been out on the dance floor competitively, he was very happy to hear that Tony was still doing very well.

Part of Nick still ached to get back out...even just to leave again, but with his latest injury, he could tell that it would be a while. And as far as ballroom dancers went, he and Lena were getting a little past their prime.

Tony shrugged. "I think she and I might go our separate ways." He said quietly.

Nick's eyes widened. "What? But you two..."

"She told me she's beginning to fall for me, and I said that I was flattered and honored, but...I just don't feel that way about her and I couldn't lie to her."

Nick nodded. "I see..."

"I haven't gotten a return ticket to New York yet...I thought I might stay out here for awhile, let things cool down a little bit before I head back." Tony replied, shifting Grace to his other arm.

"That's a good idea. Maybe after some time apart, Elena will get some perspective...maybe even a boyfriend...and your partnership won't have to end..." Nick said, hopefully. "But I understand if doesn't...the line between dance partners and...well...more than dance partners is very fuzzy. I'm just glad I don't have to worry about that line."

"You're definitely lucky there...you got a wonderful woman." Tony said wistfully.

Nick clapped a hand on his friend's shoulder. "You'll find one..." He said, a gleam in his eye.

"Oh no...don't even THINK about trying to set me up..." Tony began, backing away.

"What?" Nick asked, almost looking wounded.

"You have that matchmaking gleam in your eye...and I want NO part of this!"

"But she's a nice girl!" Nick protested. "And look how happy everyone else that I've match made is..." He gestured to everyone in the living room and they all nodded.

Tony crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow. "Uh huh..." He said.

"Tony, I only failed ONCE, and that was with you and Inna..."

Tony closed his eyes and an expression of pain crossed his face.

Nick bowed his head and regrouped. "Look, I'm sorry...I shouldn't have said anything." He said before hobbling out the door to be with the kids.

Grace could see that Tony was sad, so she stretched up and hugged him. He smiled, grateful for this little girl that he'd only just met.

It was nearly an hour later before Tony approached Nick. He took a deep breath. "Okay...what's her name?"

Nick looked at Tony cautiously. "You ready?" He asked softly.

Tony looked at the ground. "I'm not sure..." He replied, honestly.

"Her name is Ria Sangford...she was one of the nurses who helped out with my leg." Nick replied.

"Ria? That's an unusual name." Tony said, turning the name over in his mind repeatedly.

"Yep. She's about 5 foot 6, medium length dark brown hair and hazel eyes." Nick added, knowing his friend's weakness for pretty eyes.

"Oy! You've been thinking about this a lot, haven't you?"

Nick shrugged. "She's been hurt by someone...really hurt and I figured that she deserved a gentleman like you." Tony looked down at the ground and Nick continued. "You also deserve to have a true lady."

Tony looked up, and took a deep breath. "I want to know up front what happened...I know it's sensitive, but..."

Nick exhaled slowly. "She was raped, Tony."

There was a stunned silence, as the breath in Tony's lungs stayed trapped in surprise. His fists clenched at his sides. "If I ever meet the animal that did it, I'll kill him."

Nick placed a calming hand on his friend's shoulder. "Right now, I think you should concentrate on Ria...she's really shy, and honestly, she's being ignored by the airmen on the base." He chuckled. "I asked her to help me up to the surface just to help make her feel special...The rest of the nurses were jealous of her." He finished, laughing.

Tony smiled slightly. "Well, it wouldn't do any harm to meet her and at least show her that not all men are algae." He mused.

"Exactly." Nick said, smiling a knowing smile.

"When do I meet her?"

"How about tomorrow?"

Tony nodded. "That would work...is there a basement or somewhere that I could practice?"

"Practice what? Saying 'hello, I'm Tony Dovolani?' I think you got enough practice with that today..." Nick said, dryly.

Tony did a double face palm. "My dancing, you debil!" He laughed.

Nick chuckled. "I'll see what I can't work out..."

"Thanks." Tony said, setting a sleepy Grace down gently on the sofa and rising to his feet. Stretching, he went outside onto the patio where Cassie and Liam had the radio going.

They looked up as he came out and Liam said, "Hey Tony, what songs do you like dancing to the most?"

"Oh, I do a mean "Twist and Shout"." Tony said, chuckling.

Liam snorted and Cassie laughed. Just then, the 80's hair band song "Cum On, Feel The Noise" began to play and Tony turned to Cassie with a grin. "Care for a Jive?" He asked.

She grinned. "I would LOVE one..."

Tony bowed to her, then took her by the hand and led her in a nice basic Jive.

When they were finished, Cassie looked back at Tony. "Thank you." She said, bowing.

She returned to her seat next to Liam, and Liam looked at Tony, feigning hurt. "You really are trying to steal my girlfriend, aren't you?"

"No...Nick's introducing me to someone named Ria Sangford tomorrow, so you don't have to worry about that..." Tony replied.

"Besides, where did I come back to?" Cassie asked, looking at Liam with a raised eyebrow.

Tony grinned. "Very true..."

Liam chuckled as he pulled Cassie into an embrace and kissed the top of her head. "So...Tony...you and Ria Sangford...that's not a bad combination..."

"So Nick claims..." Tony groaned, taking a seat on the top step.

"I would try to make her smile whenever I saw her...but I haven't been on the base very often lately." He said, sheepishly.

"Plus the fact that you've got a lovely girl." Tony said, nudging Cassie with his shoulder.

Liam looked at Cassie, and nodded. "Yep. The loveliest."

"Keep up the flattery, boys..." Cassie said, preening and Tony chuckled.

--

Inside, Nick picked up the phone and dialed Janet's desk number. He hoped that one of the nurses or attending physicians would answer it and that he would be able to speak to Ria about the next day.

"Hello, Dr. Warner speaking."

"Dr. Warner, it's Nick Kosovich, may I please speak with Ria Sangford?"

"Certainly!" Dr. Warner replied, putting the phone down and getting the young nurse.

Ria picked up hesitantly. "Hello?"

"Ria, it's Nick!"

"Oh...hi Nick!" She replied happily.

"Are you going to be free tomorrow?"

"As far as I know...why?"

"I have a friend who just got into town and he'd like to meet you."

Ria was unsure about this, but figured if he was a friend of Nick's, he was probably all right. "Okay...what's his name?"

"Tony Dovolani."

"Okay...meet...big group event...no awkward blind date, right?" She asked, trying to make sure that she was safe.

"Exactly." Nick confirmed.

"When and where should I be?"

"How about 5:30 at General O'Neill's house?" Nick replied.

"General O'Neill's house?" She asked, surprised. Though the General was quite friendly, and often had the members of SG-1 at his house, and even some of the members of SG-9, she had never anticipated winning an invitation to their house herself.

"Yep...that's where the raging horde is staying." Nick said with a chuckle.

"Raging horde?" She asked, allowing herself to chuckle as well.

"That's the technical term, of course..."

She laughed. "Okay...I'll be at General O'Neill's house at five-thirty tomorrow evening. Anything I should bring?"

Nick chuckled. "A comfortable pair of shoes...there's going to be some dancing!"

"Dancing?" She asked, her heart tightening in her chest for a moment.

"Ballroom mostly...although Jive is fun." He responded lightly. "We like to do ones we can dance with the children."

She exhaled again. "All right..." She began hesitantly. "Arrive at General O'Neill's house at five-thirty with a comfortable pair of shoes...I can do that."

"Great! We'll see you then!" Nick replied cheerfully. He hung up the phone with a wide grin. As usual, his plan was going perfectly according to plan.


	13. The Party: Part I

"Hey, Kin!" Liam greeted as the off-worlder and his sister came to greet the Air Force officers.

"Liam! Alan!" He said, joyfully.

"How're you?"

"Good. Alan, this is sister, Rihana."

Rihana bowed to the man and he reciprocated the gesture. "Nice to meet you."

"You too." She said, allowing her eyes to meet his.

Liam and Kinsah watched the two with interest.

Meanwhile, Nick dragged Tony over. "Hey, guys, Rihana...this is Tony Dovolani. Tony, this is Liam, Alan, Kin and Rihana."

"Hello." Tony said with a smile. "It's nice to meet you."

"And you." Alan said with a grin.

He bowed to Rihana, taking her hand and kissing it. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"You too." She smiled.

Just then, Grace ran up to Tony. "You said you'd dance with me!"

"That I did." He said with a smile. He turned back to the group. "If you'll excuse me."

"Of course." Liam chuckled.

Alan turned to Rihana. "Pretty girl like you shouldn't be sitting out of a dance. May I have the pleasure?"

She turned to Kinsah, as if asking for permission. He nudged her toward Alan.

"Yes, you may." She responded, trying desperately to correct her somewhat broken English.

Alan smiled at her, trying to put her at ease and held his hand out to her.

She took his hand, somewhat shyly as he led her to the "dance floor."

Looking around, Alan copied Tony's "social ballroom" hold and won a look of approval from Kinsah.

"I think your brother is making sure I don't try anything." Alan whispered with a chuckle as he led her in a simple two step.

"I think you worry too much."

He raised an eyebrow is response. "Yes, but I would NOT want to have him kick my butt in front of everyone here and humiliate me for life!"

She grinned. "He scare off all suitor at home."

"I'd believe it!"

"You scared?"

"Not scared...just possessing a VERY healthy respect!" Alan shot back.

"For life or brother opinion?" She chuckled.

"For still being in one piece!"

She laughed. "You not bad dancer."

"I try." Alan replied wryly. Motioning over to Tony with his head, he continued, "Now HE can dance!"

"I know...Cassie show tapes of how Tony can dance!"

Alan chuckled. "Just don't tell Liam that!"

"He there."

Alan's eyebrows went up to his hairline. "Interesting..."

"He not want make mad."

"Smart man..."

"She sometimes..." Her face contorted as she tried to remember the Earth phrase. "...steamroll over him."

Alan threw back his head and laughed. "Sounds like Cassie to me!"

"So...what your family like?'

"I have a mother, father, twin brother and one sister."

"Twin brother?"

"Yep! We look exactly the same. His name is Adam." Alan answered.

"That get confusing!"

Alan grinned. "Yeah, it did...Mom never knew who she was lecturing!"

She chuckled. "How make wife know who is who?"

"I have a scar on my left hand." He answered, lifting up the said hand to show her the pink line that ran across the back of his hand.

"Oh. Wife must be thankful."

Alan's brow furrowed, then he laughed. "Adam's married, not me..."

"Oh." She said with a slight, embarrassed chuckle.

"His wife Sarah says that if it wasn't for the scar, she wouldn't be able to tell us apart!"

She smiled. "I sorry...most men where I come from marry by your age..."

Alan shrugged. "Nothing to apologize for." He said kindly. "It's not that I'm against marriage...I guess I just haven't found the right girl yet."

"Oh." There was an awkward silence as she took a deep breath. "I sorry. I make you sad."

"Hey, don't worry about it!" Alan told her firmly, giving her a gentle smile.

"Okay." She said, bowing almost in submission.

Alan studied her for a long moment before escorting her back to her brother. "Thank you for allowing me the privilege of dancing with the lovely angel that is your sister."

She smiled, shyly as she hid behind her brother again, somewhat childlike in her motions.

Looking back toward the "dance floor", Alan could see Ria Sangford coming up the driveway. "Ria!" He called happily.

"Alan? What are you doing here?" She asked as she gave him a hug. He was one of the few airmen on the base that made every effort to make her feel comfortable.

"Just hanging out with the smug marrieds/datings." He teased gently.

Meanwhile, Rihana felt tears sting her eyes. She pulled away from her brother and walked toward the porch swing.

Despite the fact that he saw her leave, Alan turned to Ria, "If I were you, I'd be careful...Nick is NOTORIOUS for his matchmaking..."

"Oh, he's already struck...I'm currently on a blind date..."

"And I think I know who it is..." Alan smirked.

"Who?"

Alan pointed over to Tony, who was dancing with Sam at the moment.

"Wow..." She gasped. "Nick's got good taste."

"Go say hi." He urged.

"I will..." She said with a grin. "But let's let Nick think that he's going to introduce me, okay?"

"Gotcha." Alan replied winking. He casually walked over to where Kinsah was sitting and took a seat of his own, his eyes fixed on Rihana.

"Something wrong?"

"Nope." He replied quietly.

"Rihana think you and Ria together...that why she walk off..."

"We're not together...Ria's just a good friend." Alan answered.

"I know that...but she not know that. Now, you going tell her?"

"Yes, my Liege." The lieutenant replied, a small laugh in his voice.

"Go on with you."

Alan rose to his feet and took off rapidly in the direction that Rihana had gone.

"Rihana?" He asked as he caught her.

She looked at him, first in surprise, than with a hint of wariness. "Kinsah want something?"

"Nope. Just wanted to know if something was wrong..."

"Nothing wrong." She answered quickly, turning away from him. He reached out a hand and gently pulled her back around to face him.

"I don't believe you." He said gently.

"I fine." She said, sitting up a little straighter as she looked at the "dance floor." "Girlfriend seem be talking Nick."

"Ria's not my girlfriend...we're trying to set her up with Tony." Alan explained nonchalantly.

"Oh." She said, shaking her head. "Need stop thinking. Not good at it."

"I think you're just fine at it." Alan said with a smile. A breeze ruffled her hair and before he could stop himself, he reached out and tucked a piece of stray hair back behind her ear.

She looked at him, a feeling of warmth spreading through her whole body at his touch.

Looking over, Alan could see Kinsah smirking and a reddish hue spread over his face. "I think your brother is amused."

"He always amused when I with anyone alone." She sighed.

Putting an arm around her shoulder, Alan pulled her into an easy walking pace. "Let's go for a stroll, shall we?" He asked, his blue eyes twinkling.

She smiled. "Okay."

Meanwhile, Kinsah nudged Liam and said, "I think sister like."

"Leave her alone! She looks terrified!" Liam said, as Cassie strolled over to them.

"Sister like Alan." Kinsah told her smugly.

"Of course...but really, Liam's got a point...she looks petrified!"

"She fine." Kinsah said, keeping a close eye on his sister. He was prepared to intervene at the first sign of trouble.

"Kinsah, Alan is a very responsible gentleman. I think she's been noticing that you're watching her every move. Maybe you're making her nervous..." Cassie said, looking at her boyfriend with a chuckle.

"Hmmm...maybe." Kinsah said, reluctantly dropping his eyes from his line of vision.

Cassie looked at Liam. She'd wanted to dance with her boyfriend, but it looked like Kinsah needed to be distracted. They wordlessly communicated before she reached for Kinsah's hand. "Shall we dance?"

Kinsah smiled and bowed to her, like Nick had taught him. "Dancing good." He said happily.

Liam grinned. "Well, enjoy!"

"I not enjoy TOO much." Kinsah responded, teasing both of his friends.

Cassie chuckled as she shook her head. "I'll be back to dance with my prince."

Kinsah rolled his eyes and playfully gagged as he dragged her to the "dance floor" and led her in a perfect Bronze level Fox Trot.

She smiled. "I kind of miss dancing...and I'd forgotten how well you'd grasped the Earth dances..."

"I good." He replied smugly.

"Yes, you are...now, if I could get Liam to dance..."

"I teach." Kinsah offered.

She sighed. "I already offered...he doesn't seem that interested."

There was a glint in Kinsah's eye. "Maybe you not offer to teach right dance..."

"Kinsah!"

The off worlder chuckled and spun her around several times before grabbing her and dipping her.

She was somewhat breathless, their faces only inches apart. "You know...THAT'S what I wouldn't mind getting on a regular basis."

Kinsah merely grinned before hauling her to a vertical position and leading her back to Liam.

"That looked like TOO much fun!" Liam reproached, teasingly.

"You try." Kinsah challenged.

"Oh, I couldn't..."

"Yes, could. Have muscles for it." Kinsah declared, grasping Liam's bicep to determine how muscular the man was.

Cassie looked down at the floor, sadly, and Liam noticed this. How he had missed just how much she'd wanted him to learn how to dance, he wasn't sure. "Okay." He said, taking a deep breath.

Kinsah grinned happily and motioned for Liam to come and stand in front of Cassie.

She looked at him, unshed tears still shining in her eyes. "Why now?"

"Maybe it took me a while to see how much this really means to you." He answered softly.

Her lips quivered as she realized just how much she'd begun to care for him. "I love you." She whispered.

"Love you too...mia bella." He whispered.

"Ahem." Kinsah said, his hands still on their arms. "Ready for lesson?"

They both blushed. "Sorry Kin." Liam replied.

Kinsah snickered. "Likely story."

Liam rolled his eyes as Kinsah showed them how to do a proper frame. "Must have 5 points of contact." He explained.

They both nodded. "Next, Liam, make sure hand is on shoulder blade, not lower back...can cause injury if hand not in right place." Kinsah continued. Nick nodded his agreement from their right.

"Woman must grasp muscle in man's arm for balance. Man must make sure weight is evenly distributed on both feet...if weight all on one foot, there will be fall."

"And that would NOT be good!" Nick commented.

"Nope." Liam said, with a chuckle. "I like standing upright..."

"So do I!" Cassie shot back.

Kinsah chuckled before saying, "Woman goes back over man's hand that is on shoulder blade. Do now slowly so I can see if good or bad."

They proceeded to showcase the five points of contact, and they won looks of approval from both Nick and Kinsah...and all of the other people at the party.

"Looks like our lesson isn't a private one anymore..." Liam chuckled.

"Not private when peanut gallery around..." Kinsah muttered.

"Oh just shut up and teach the dance!" Tony said, enjoying the group atmosphere. He had yet to meet his date, but while this had him a little worried, he was perfectly happy to sit back and watch everyone else have a fun time…as long as he got to dance an occasional dance with a pretty lady.

Kinsah gave him a mock glare, but ended up laughing. "Cassie, go back and turn head to left." Kinsah said, guiding the couple through the dip slowly.

"Okay, okay, I think we got it." Liam said. "Maestro, start the music!"

Sam shook her head as she turned on a CD.

Liam wasn't doing too badly until he didn't get his foot out of Cassie's way when she went to lean back and they collapsed to a heap on the ground.

"If you wanted me horizontal, all you had to do was ask..." He said with a wicked grin.

She blushed. "LIAM!"

He smirked.

"Oh, that's nothing..." Lena said, as Nick and Kinsah hurried to untangle the couple from one another. "You should hear what happened the first time Nick and I danced..."

Nick's eyes widened. "Don't even go there..." He warned.

She grinned. "He did a little chest groping of his own..."

" Lena!" Her husband cried, his cheeks scarlet.

"Nick?" Cassie asked as she stood up.

"Don't ask." He muttered, looking down at the ground.

"Oh, she won't have to..." Liam said, noticing the gleam in Lena's eye.

Rolling his eyes, Nick grasped his cane and rose to his feet. "I think I'm going to go entertain the children." He said loftily.

Lena pulled him by the arm. "I don't think so..." She chuckled. "We made up quite nicely after I told this story, last time..."

He raised an eyebrow and haughtily plucked his arm from her grasp. "You are going to have to grovel mightily this time, madam." He said, hobbling off with his nose stuck in the air.

She sighed. "We were practicing a lift. His hand slipped and suddenly, his hands were VERY full."

Liam started laughing. "Oh wow..."

"Anyway...when he helped me down, he began stuttering apologies, and I slugged him..."

"Aw, Lena!" Cassie teased. "Poor Nick!"

"Well, we had just met! I'd had quite a few guys 'accidentally' feel me up...and I wasn't about to let this Aussie do it...of course, when his nose started to bleed, I felt bad..."

"No kidding..." Liam snorted. Kinsah merely shook his head.

"And so, I went to get him some ice...we talked...and I realized he wasn't ANYTHING like any of the other guys that I'd danced with before..."

"And that was the beginning of it all..." Tony said sentimentally.

She looked at Tony with a rueful grin. "Oh, you would know..."

Tony smirked and said, "Yes I would..."

"After all, how long did it take you to clear out of the wedding chapel?" She asked, seriously.

"About 3.5 seconds, if memory serves me correctly..."

"How about for everyone else?" Jack asked, realizing that Tony had probably had the advantage of knowing the scarring that would occur.

"There wasn't anybody else." Tony said, smirking. "They ran off to Vegas. Caught me who was at a competition, and asked me to be Nick's best man."

The adults laughed. "That's priceless!"

"That's what we all thought…"

He looked at Lena with an evil grin as the Chelo song "Cha Cha" came on. "Care to dance, madame?"

"Unfortunately, it seems that I have some fences to mend..." She said, giving a slight head nod to her husband.

"Come on..." Tony begged. Nick gave her a half-smile that told her he wasn't REALLY put out with her.

"All right..." She said, as she hesitantly took Tony's hand.

"He's smirking." Tony informed her as he led her out to the floor.

Lena raised an eyebrow and smirked. "Time for a little show then..." Tony smirked in response before pulling her against him for a couple of botafogos.

She grinned evilly as she heard Nick's gasp.

Returning her grin, they executed several fast and furious voltas before going into the basic step. "Ready to shake?"

"I was born ready!"

Spinning her out, both of them started to shake what their mothers had given them like there was no tomorrow.

Lena smirked as she saw that Nick's eyes were WIDE with surprise.

Tony raised an eyebrow, his face asking a question that she knew the answer to. As he turned and shook his shoulder at her, she did the basic forward step and peeled his shirt off.

"ACK!" Came Nick's reply.

Using the shirt as a prop, Tony spun her around a few more times before pulling her into the closed hold and dipping her over his knee as the song ended.

There was much whooping and hollering as they finished from the adults, but Nick firmly turned his head back to the children on and around his knee.

"If his leg wasn't so stiff, I'd say you could do an angry tango..." Tony stage whispered.

"Oh, I think I know some tricks that will loosen that old knee up."

Tony snickered, and clapped Nick on the shoulder. His hand almost felt like it had been electrocuted or something. "Geez, Nick! I think your clothes have some serious static!"

"Either that or you've had quite the electric slide..."

"Go dance with your woman already!"

Nick smirked as he stretched his leg. Funnily enough, it really wasn't feeling too bad. Standing up at his full height, he strode forward confidently. "Shall we?" He asked, his voice low and his eyes on fire.

"We might as well..." She replied, darkly.

Tony took over the CD player and popped in the traditional song "Hernando's Hideaway". Nick circled her a few times before drawing her into his embrace. With a "snap!" of their heads, they were off.

Their movements were clipped and staccato, possessing a passion and aggression that was rarely on display from them. Every time Lena would pull away from him, he would pull her back.

She stroked his face with a lust and a passion that even the adults wished that they could close their eyes...but they were too intrigued by the transformation of the couple.

Spinning her, Nick grasped her and dipped her low, a possessive gleam in his eye.

She looked into his eyes, melting as she did so.

Rising slowly and breathing hard, his eyes burned into hers. "Mine." He whispered.

She nodded wordlessly. "All yours." She managed, breathlessly.

He smiled a smile that could only be called devilish before he covered her lips with his.

"Okay...I'm good..." Jack said, turning and walking over to where the kids sat, mesmerized.

Breaking apart from her, he gave her a sexy grin. "Don't you forget it." He said, sauntering over to his chair.

She took a deep breath, as her cheeks flushed and her fists clenched. Suddenly, everyone could hear the Russian rant coming from her.

"Something wrong, Lena?" Nick asked, pulling out his Australian accent.

She growled. "You will be death to me." She finally managed to say, her own accent thicker than usual.

His own eyes widened. "Let's split the difference and call it halfsies..." He said, before turning to Tony, who was sitting on the sidelines again.

Tony stood in the corner of the yard, dressed in faded jeans, a brown turtleneck, a tan jacket and brown shoes. His ensemble would have made the likes of Clinton Kelly proud. However, while he looked poised and sophisticated on the outside, he was a mess of nerves on the inside. He still hadn't met his date, and he hardly knew anyone except Nick and Lena and their little family at this party. He'd gotten to know the O'Neills a little better- after all, he was borrowing their couch during his stay with them. No matter how long he had protested that he could have gotten a hotel room, Sam and Jack had both insisted that he stay with them. Even if the kids were turned to the basement with sleeping bags, he would stay with them.

"Something on your mind?" Nick asked as he walked over to where Tony stood, solitarily.

"Nope." The Albanian said, forcing a smile.

"Lying, Tony? I didn't think you were capable…" Nick teased gently.

"Oh, like you're the innocent little lamb you try to make yourself out to be…" Tony returned, playfully.

Nick laughed. "Fine, I concede. Now, what's up?"

"I'm fine, Nick…"

"Nervous?"

"Are you kidding?"

"All right…just checking to make sure you're still human…" Nick chuckled.

"I mean, this gal…"

"Is on her way over, and you'll enjoy getting to know her." Nick reassured as Ria walked over, smiling demurely as she approached.

"Hi, Nick…how's your leg?"

"It's just fine, Ria, thank you for asking." He said with a smile.

Tony just stared at her. She was beautiful with shoulder length dark brown hair that fell in natural curls down around her shoulders. She was wearing a gray skirt that had a diagonal cut across it that began at her left knee and ended a few inches below her right knee, changing the cut of the skirt from a straight cut to more of an A-line. She wore black heels , and her pink cardigan sweater set enhanced her fair complexion and contrasted her dark hair and hazel eyes. A black stone, set against a silver chain and matching dangling earrings completed the ensemble. He was suitably impressed with her chic, yet understated look.

"Ria, this is my friend, Tony Dovolani. Tony, this is Ria Sangford."

"Nice to meet you, Ria." Tony said, recovering quickly.

"Nice to meet you too, Tony." She said, with a hint of a nervous smile.

"Hey, Nick! You gonna waltz with Grace or not?" Jack asked, holding his little girl who looked very put out.

"I'll be right there!" He responded. He turned back to Tony and Ria. "I'm sorry…duty calls."

"Duty, my foot." Tony said, chuckling.

Ria turned back to watch the dances unfold, but turned again to Tony when he cleared his throat. "So…I hear you're a nurse."

"Yes, I am." She nodded, professionally.

"Nick says you're a very good one, and pretty at that, but…his words weren't even able to capture the essence of your beauty."

She stiffened a little. "Thank you."

Tony mentally kicked himself. THAT was a compliment that could have had double-meaning.

"So…what do you do?" She asked, trying to strike up conversation again.

"I'm a dancer."

"Ah. What do you dance?"

"American rhythm."

"Oh." She said, clearly unsure of what that meant.

"The dance that Lena and I performed would be a fairly good example of what I dance."

"Oh." She said with a smile.

"Would you like to dance?" He asked, offering his hand to her.

"Oh…I can't…I…I have two left feet."

"Have you ever tried?"

"Well…a little ballet in elementary school, but other than that…no."

"Then, let me teach you a basic waltz, okay?"

She took a deep breath. "Okay…"

Guiding her out onto the floor, he placed a hand on her shoulder blade. "Put your right hand up on my arm," he invited gently.

She placed it on his shoulder, and he lowered it a few inches, gently. "On the bicep...it makes us men feel a little manly to have a pretty girl feel our muscles." He joked.

She chuckled appreciatively as he continued. "All you have to do is take one step back on your right foot, then step to the side and bring your feet together."

She followed his lead almost perfectly.

"Excellent!" He said, giving her one of his infamous megawatt smiles.

She blushed and Tony found himself thinking that he could look at her forever. Shaking himself mentally, he guided her slowly through the back box step, whisk, and quarter turns. "You learn quickly."

"Thank you." She blushed.

"Not a problem." He said. He led her through the moves a few more times so she could get used to his leading.

"So...what made you want to start dancing?" She asked, as they continued to waltz.

"Well, I started doing folk dancing in Kosovo when I was three."

"Kosovo?" She asked, surprised.

He gave her another smile. "I'm originally from Kosovo."

"Ah."

"Anyway, I did that until we moved to the States when I was 14. I couldn't speak a lick of English, so my parent put me in dance classes at the local Fred Astaire dance studio, since you didn't have to be able to speak English to dance!"

"So...you didn't go to college?"

He was quiet for a long moment. "No...unfortunately, by the time I picked the language up, I'd already fallen so far behind in my academic subjects, there was no way for me to catch up..."

"Well, I wouldn't be able to tell..." She said with a smile as the dance ended.

He bowed low to her before kissing her hand.

"You're just going to abandon me after one dance?" She teased, gently, though she was deeply touched by his act of chivalry.

"Well...I could always teach you Fox Trot!"

"I don't think I'd mind learning...so long as we don't fall like Liam and Cassandra..."

"Hey, I have NEVER fallen." Tony replied loftily.

"Well, then, you might be the perfect partner for me..."

He grinned at her. "More perfect than Liam, anyway..."

"Definitely." She agreed with a chuckle.

"Hey! I heard that..." Liam grumbled.

"I love you, Liam..." She called as Tony whisked her away into another dance.

"Yeah, yeah...save it for your new boy toy!" Nick called out laughingly.

She threw Nick a pointed a look. "And who's talking?"

"Ah, but I'm not a boy toy...I'm a MAN toy." He said, looking smug while Lena groaned, covering her face with her hands.

"Go dance with your wife!" Tony called. "And leave my date alone!"

"We've already danced, thank you...and since you're going to be teaching this young lady my specialty dance, I'd better make sure you're teaching it to her right."

Lena hurried over to her husband, unable to take it any more. She pulled him off of his seat and into the house, his smirk firmly in place.

"Don't wait up!" Nick called as the door closed. Tony shuddered.

"Now that they're out of our way..." Ria said with a grin.

He threw back his head and laughed. "Not that I really want to think about the repercussions of that..."

"What repercussions?" She asked, raising an eyebrow. "I just wanted to keep dancing with the handsomest man at the party..."

Tony's face turned red, then he smiled. "Well, General O'Neill is over there..."

She gave him a playful smack on the arm. "I meant the handsomest unattached man..."

"Oh, I get it...I'm just the seconds." He teased.

She laughed. "You knew what I meant..."

"Yes, but I have to give you a little grief..."

"Oh, thank you, American Rhythm Man..."

Tony rolled his eyes theatrically before growling, "Okay woman, Fox Trot time."

"So...just wanting me to feel your bicep again, huh?"

"Oh you know it." He replied with a wink.

She laughed. It had been years since she'd been quite so comfortable with a man on the first date.

"So...am I getting it at ALL?" She asked as he stopped for a moment after one of their poses.

"Yeah, you are!" He told her enthusiastically.

"Are you sure?" She asked, somewhat shyly. "Cuz I feel a little awkward..."

"Believe me, you're doing just fine...most pro-am students I teach don't do this well their first time out." He told her honestly.

"Really?" She said, with a slight blush.

He nodded and smiled.

"I must have a good teacher..."

Tony's face reddened again and he shrugged. "I'm just a nice boy from Kosovo who gets paid to shake his hips for a living!"

She laughed. "And shake your hips you do...if I recall correctly...you danced with Stacy Keibler on "Dancing With The Stars" last year?"

"Yeah...I partnered the Keibler-elf." He replied with a sigh.

"What? She seemed nice."

"Oh she was nice, all right...it was kinda like dancing with a chocolate bar...at first, it's really great but after you've had too much of it, you get crabby!"

"Yeah...I had several nurse friends who said that you were hot, but that you could have used an attitude adjustment..." She chuckled. "But...now, I know differently."

Tony spread his hands. "Also, ABC edits the HECK out of those things...even Nick came off arrogant!"

"I have to admit that he did..." She said, with a tense smile. "But...as that seems to be a touchy subject...how 'bout them Yankees?"

"I HATE baseball." Tony confided.

"As do I..." She chuckled. "Just wanted to change the subject. So do you have any favorite sports?"

"I like soccer and rugby...Nick converted me to the latter."

She chuckled. "Well...I'm kind of an anti-sport."

"Even if I was playing?" Tony asked, his lower lip stuck out in a playful pout.

"Maybe I would be able to suffer through it..." She sighed, overdramatically.

"Well I wouldn't want you to put yourself out on my account..."

"Oh, I didn't say that I had any problems with watching a man in uniform...I just meant that I might be able to keep myself from falling asleep if you were playing..." She teased.

"As long as I bend over in front of you on a regular basis, right?"

She gave him a playful swat on the arm. "TONY!"

"What?" He asked, a big grin on his face.

"Okay...you might have a point, but...that's besides the point..."

"Uh huh, that's what I thought!" Tony crowed as Liam and Cassie laughed.


	14. The Party: Part II

Alan and Rihana walked out to the front yard of the O'Neill house. "So…now that you're out of your brother's line of sight…feel better?"

She chuckled. "Yes."

"So…you like to dance."

She nodded. "Rare to find people where I from that don't."

"Yeah, I guess that would be true…"

She shrugged.

"So…tell me about your family…"

"You know brother…that all family have."

"That's it?"

"Mother taken by foul ones early in childhood…brother take care of me since…"

"And your father?"

"Not even Kinsah know what happen to him…"

"Really?"

She nodded, solemnly.

"So…you have a boyfriend?"

"Boyfriend?" She asked, hesitantly.

"Yes…a suitor?"

"No." She said with a sigh.

"Why not? You're a lovely girl…"

"Brother leader of people…have BIG influence over whether I make 'good match.'"

"Oh."

"As it look, I marry old man in village nearby…"

"Why would you do that?"

"If brother asked it, I do anything…"

Alan's brow furrowed. "Do you have anyone that YOU would choose?"

She shook her head, almost in confusion. "No."

"Here, we have the right to choose who we marry. Men and women alike. If that was something that your people understood, do you have any suitor that you would choose?"

She shook her head. "Not like small-minded warriors."

Alan winced. "Okay…"

She turned, suddenly realizing that he might have thought she had been talking about him. "No, Alan…you not small-minded…you not think only about next hunt…next conquest."

"I don't think about either of those things…at all…"

"So…you not small-minded warrior."

Alan grinned. The more he heard from this young woman, the more he liked her. "So…is there anyone here that you might think about having as a suitor?"

She blushed.

"It's Nick, isn't it? I knew it…the man's fan club is never ending!"

"No. Not Nik'las."

"It's not Nick?"

She laughed. "No…he married!"

"Yes, well…that doesn't stop some women from drooling…"

"Well…anyway, not interested…"

"Despite the fact that he's the best dancer around?"

"Yes."

"Wow…"

"I like quiet and calm. Nik'las neither."

Alan closed his eyes as he laughed. "You've got a bit of a point there…so…you like Liam…"

She looked at him with a chuckle. "Again…taken!"

"I'm sorry! I can't think of anyone here on Earth that's quiet and calm that would interest you…"

She gave him a tiny grin. "Then I have secret…"

"Well, if you aren't going to tell me, I'll just have to ask you out on a date so that I can distract you from him rather than give you grief about him…"

"What date?"

"Oh, a date is the way that…well, the way that we, men, tell a woman that we'd like to her suitor."

"Oh." She said, almost surprised.

"So…would you come to dinner with me on Friday night?"

"Okay."

"I'll pick you up from the base at seven, then…"

"Okay." She said, a smile spreading on her features.

--

Janet stood in the corner with the kids, watching each of them, and carefully making sure that they were safe. That is, until a certain brown-haired, brown-eyed archaeologist came and wrapped his arms around her waist. She turned. "Daniel!"

"Hey there, what's a gorgeous woman like you doing with a group like this?"

She blushed. "Daniel…are you drunk?"

"Nope…but I might be just a little…tipsy." He admitted, whispering in her ear.

She laughed, despite the fact that his nearness was making her dizzy with excitement.

He tried to pull her from the children. "Dance with me."

"Daniel, I…"

"Dance with me." He commanded gently again, as the song "L.O.V.E." by Nat "King" Cole came on.

"Okay." She whispered as he pulled her into a nice social foxtrot hold and began to lead her around the dance floor.

She was suitably impressed with his smooth footwork and overall knowledge of the art. As she followed his lead, they gracefully slid across the dance floor, everyone watching the pair in awe.

"How long have they been able to dance like that?" Liam asked Cassie.

"I have no idea." She replied, watching in fascination.

He twirled her out so that their hands were their only connection. But before Janet could catch her breath, he pulled her back, so that her back rested against his chest. They swayed to the music, Janet's arms crossed in front of her as she looked back toward Daniel's tiny smirk. He sent her away from him again as he kneeled and pulled her back to sit on his knee. As the song ended, she placed her arms around his neck and leaned her forehead on his.

"Surprised?"

"Just a little." She admitted.

"I've been dancing since I was really little…mostly various folk dances from the places that my parents worked in. But after I met Nick and Lena, they convinced me to take lessons in ballroom dance…so I thought I'd surprise you."

"Oh, you surprised me…"

"Good surprise? Or bad surprise?"

She leaned her lips toward his, her actions giving him all the information that he could or would ever need.

--

Several hours later, each couple, with the exception of Nick and Lena, who were dancing to their own music, were in each other's arms, dancing a slow two-step to "If You're Not The One" by Daniel Bedingfield. Kinsah and Teal'c had put the kids to bed, and were now sitting on the porch, watching the others dance. Janet had her head on Daniel's chest as they swayed in time to the music. Sam and Jack held each other as close as their unborn child would allow. Cassandra and Liam were positioned much like Daniel and Janet. But while these established couples danced rather intimately, Tony and Ria alongside Alan and Rihana danced more socially.

"This was a great party." Tony said, smiling at his dance partner.

"Yes, it was." She agreed. "I wouldn't mind doing this again sometime…"

"So…if I were to ask you to come to dinner with me and I were to find a nice place with a dance floor, you would join me?"

She looked at the man who was slowly rebuking her fears. "I might. Did you have a place in mind?"

"I don't know the area well enough," he admitted.

"Well, I do…there's a nice place in Denver."

"Hmmm…would you accompany me then, on Friday evening at six?"

She nodded. "I would be more than happy to do so."

"Then, that's settled…I'll pick you up at six and we'll drive to Denver."

"Sounds good."

As the song ended, he twirled her out, still holding her by the hand. It was then that he knelt before her and kissed her hand. "It has been an honor to escort you this evening. And I look forward to experiencing the same euphoria on Friday evening."

She gave a tiny gasp as she swallowed. "I'll be delighted to have your company, as I have been this evening."

"Until then." He said, winking at her as she pulled away, rather reluctantly as she returned to her car.

"Yes…until then."

Meanwhile, Alan turned to Rihana. "Do you and Kinsah need a ride back to the base? I'm sure Liam wouldn't mind helping you two out."

"I not sure…"

Liam walked over, his arm draped around Cassie's shoulders. "I already told Kinsah that I would drive you two back…"

Alan flashed his friend a grateful smile.

"If you think you can wait while I kiss this angel good-bye, I'll be there in a minute or two…"

"I think we'll be able to manage." Alan said, pulling Rihana over to where Kinsah stood, waiting.

Liam turned to Cassie. "I had a lovely time tonight."

"I did too…" She said, a smile gracing her lips.

"My only regret is that you and I couldn't have danced like that earlier…I'm sorry that I didn't see it until tonight…"

"At least you didn't wait until it was too late to see it." She whispered.

"That would have been a real tragedy." He said, kissing her forehead. "Well, good night, my angel. May I be blessed with your presence in my dreams."

She hugged him tightly. "I'll see you tomorrow."

He nodded as he kissed her lips. "Okay…tomorrow…lunch?"

"Of course."

"Wonderful."

Daniel and Janet walked back to the house with the O'Neills. "Daniel, would you go in and get Michael?"

He nodded, and went toward the house, before Sam stopped them. "Don't…he's asleep, and I don't want to disturb him. He can stay overnight and you can pick him up in the morning."

"Okay…"

"Great."

Janet hugged Sam before returning to Daniel's embrace. "Thanks."

"No problem."

"We'll see you tomorrow."

"Yep."

"Bye."

Kinsah and Teal'c stood on the stoop, visiting with Alan and Rihana. "Well, kids, it's probably time for us to head inside…wanna join us? It's getting a bit chilly out here."

"No, O'Neill. I fear that I must depart."

"Okay…thanks for coming, T."

"It was my pleasure."

Liam walked over, his hand now in Cassie's as they walked over. "Well, gang, time to head back to the Mountain."

Kinsah, Rihana and Alan nodded, somewhat gravely.

"Thank you, sir, for having us…" Liam said, extending his hand toward his commanding officer.

"You're welcome, Harris."

"And me too." Alan replied with a smile.

"Of course, Barrows. Has your car been acting up lately? I noticed you came with Liam."

"No…Liam, however, feels that if you breathe on my car incorrectly that it would fall apart. So…he decided to be my ride."

"Excellent."

"Well, sir, I have to be going."

"Well, thank you for coming. Be safe."

"Of course."

With that, Liam, Alan, Kinsah and Rihana walked toward the car while Cassandra, Sam and Jack walked back into the house. "We should do that more often." Jack commented as he and Sam headed to bed.

"Yes, we should."

"I mean, it was fun for the kids, and we had a great time too…"

"Only next time, let's keep the tango songs out of the mix."

"Especially if Lena should dance a Latin dance with anyone other than her husband…"

Sam nodded as she got into the bed, cuddling up to her husband. "I love you, you know that?"

"I do…now the question is…do you know how much I love YOU?"

Sam was already snoring by the time he finished his question. He chuckled as he kissed her forehead. "Of course you do…" He turned his gaze toward their unborn child. "Do you know how much I love you?" He asked as he placed a strong hand on her belly. A soft kick greeted him, and he smiled. "I guess you do…"

As he drifted off to sleep, he did so with a smile on his lips, remembering just how perfect life seemed to be.


	15. The Day After

Ria drove up to the O'Neill house, her hands clutching the steering wheel nervously. She had left her sweater there, and while she could have just phoned and someone could have brought to the base, she admitted to herself that she wanted to see Tony again...

She took a deep breath, steeling herself for the meeting. Then, she got out of the car and walked up to the door.

Tony heard a knock at the door and groaned, rolling over. His dark hair was standing up and he still wasn't quite awake yet. Stretching with a yawn, he rose from his bed on the couch and padded over to the door.

"Hello?" He asked sleepily, rubbing his eyes.

"Good morning." She said, surprised to see his dark tank top and pajama pants.

He blinked, then smiled. "Ria! Nice to see you...what brings you here at..." He twisted around to take a look at the clock. "...10:30 in the morning?"

"Uh...I left my sweater." She gave him a tiny chuckle. "Sleep in this morning?"

He grinned at her. "I keep pretty crazy hours as a dancer...most of my competitions are VERY late at night, so I get in the habit of being up at night and asleep during the day."

"Ah...and where's everyone else?"

Tony gave her a shrug that inadvertently showed off his strong, broad shoulders to their best advantage. "I have NO idea." He replied, his accent sounding thicker than usual.

Suddenly, Ria was enamored by the accent...she was somewhat taken aback by this. After all, she'd never considered herself to be an "accent" girl.

No, she thought to herself, I'm not an accent girl...all men are still out for one thing!

Tony stood there leaning on the door before he stepped back respectfully. "Where are my manners? Please, come in."

"Oh...uh...okay." She stammered, stepping inside.

He closed the door behind her, taking care to give her space. Taking a seat on the couch, Tony grabbed his blanket and pulled it around himself. "Sorry, but I run a little on the cold side...I'm not hiding from you." He joked.

"Well, it is early November in Colorado Springs...most people wear sweatshirts to bed at this time of year..." Ria said, chuckling, and surprising herself at her ease.

"Well, NOWHERE is as cold as Kosovo..." He said, shivering involuntarily.

She chuckled. "What about Siberia?"

Tony chuckled at this. "I'm sure Lena would know...she's from up that way." He was surprised how easy it was to talk to Ria...she was so unlike Inna, who always pushed him away when he tried to speak to her.

Ria saw her sweater, folded neatly on the rocking chair in the corner. "I should probably get my sweater and go..." She said, hesitant to leave. She was, for once since she'd been raped, enjoying herself in the company of a man.

"You don't have to go if you don't want to...I'm enjoying the company." Tony responded, honestly.

"Okay..."

He looked sideways at her. "So...where are you from?"

" Kansas City, Missouri."

"I've been through there a few times...great city but even greater Jazz." He said reminiscently.

"Yep." She said, with a smile. "I've tinkered around on the piano, but...while I appreciate the art, I'm more of a classical musician."

Tony shrugged. "I love listening and dancing to Jazz, but when it comes to music, I'm more of a Latin and Rock kind of guy...I play a little guitar."

"Really? That's kinda fun..."

"It gives me something to unwind with and it's portable enough that I can take it easily from place to place when I travel."

"Yeah...unfortunately, I shot myself in the foot when I learned to play the piano and sing...although sometimes, if I really need a pick-me-up, I'll sing some Jazz standard..."

"Hey, you can take your voice with you wherever you go as well..." He said softly.

"Yes, but when you're an opera singer, it's kinda hard to bring the whole orchestra with you." She said, smiling. "But thank you for the reminder..."

"Hmmm...I wonder if they have "Orchestra For iPod" yet..." Tony answered with mock solemnity in his voice.

"I don't think so...but if they do, you'll have to tell me..."

He nodded gravely before cracking up. "I'll be sure to do that." He laughed.

Ria pulled back into herself for a moment. She wasn't a particularly open person anymore...so why the hell was she telling this Tony person all of her deepest, darkest secrets? After all, opera wasn't exactly an art form that was embraced by "popular culture" any longer...

"Something wrong?" Tony asked, studying her.

"It's...nothing." Ria said, looking away.

"Ria..." Tony said quietly. Something in his voice pulled her gaze up to meet his.

"I feel like I could tell you anything." She whispered. "And that scares me...I mean, I just met you last night..."

His chocolate brown eyes were locked on hers. "You're not the only scared one..." He admitted.

She looked down at the ground. "I...I should probably get my sweater..."

"Ria, please...stay. If I've made you uncomfortable, I apologize." Tony pleaded, looking miserable.

"No...you're fine..." She said, still not really wanting to leave herself. "I just didn't want you to be uncomfortable."

Tony studied her for a long moment. "I don't know why, but somehow I feel more comfortable just sitting and talking with you than I have with anyone."

"Really?" She asked, timidly.

He gave her a slow smile. "Yeah..."

She debated asking this question, but it just wouldn't leave her mind. "Who was she?"

Tony didn't pretend to misunderstand the question. "She was my former dance partner."

"And?" She prompted, quietly.

"She ended up cheating on me with one of my best friends." He finished quietly.

Ria almost had tears in her eyes. "I'm sorry...I didn't...I shouldn't have..."

"It's ok." Tony said, surprised to find that it really was ok.

Reaching out his hand slowly, he wiped away a single tear that was creeping down her face.

She looked into his eyes for the first time. "Thank you..."

"For what?" he asked.

"I don't know..." She said, behind yet another tear.

Weighing his options carefully, Tony leaned forward and cautiously put his arms around her, pulling her into a comforting but loose embrace that she could break any time she wanted to.

Suddenly, she broke into sobs, and pulled him closer to her.

Wrapping his arms more securely around her, Tony held her as she cried, gently rubbing a hand up and down her back as he hummed an old Albanian folksong.

A few moments later, she pulled away, wiping her tears. "I'm sorry..."

He released her, feeling a sense of regret that he quickly brushed aside. "It's fine, Ria...really."

The chiming of the hallway clock brought Ria back to reality, and she stood. "I have to go..."

Getting to his feet like a proper gentleman, Tony opened the door for her. "See you soon?" He asked hesitantly.

She nodded, and then stopped. She chuckled nervously as she turned around. "I never got my sweater!"

Tony chuckled and reached over, snagging the sweater off the chair. He handed it to her, his fingers brushing her lightly.

She felt a tiny shock of electricity ripple past her skin and find its way straight to her nerves, sending a shiver up her spine. "Thank you." She said, her voice low.

"Drive safely." Tony said, seriously.

She gave him a small smile, still very much insecure about how vulnerable and yet safe she felt around him. "I will. You take care, okay?"

"You too."

She nodded. "Good-bye."

"I prefer see you later." He answered with a grin.

She grinned. "Okay...see you later."

He waved from the door as he watched her drive away. Smiling to himself, he went and showered, singing as he did so.

Everybody returned only a few minutes after Tony had gotten dressed again.

"Hello everybody!" He said cheerfully.

"Hello?" Nick asked, never before having seen Tony in such a good mood first thing in the morning.

"What?" Tony asked, still smiling.

"Okay, who are you and what have you done with Tony?"

Giving Nick a wounded look, Tony gracefully leapt over the back of the sofa and landed on the cushion. "I'm still here, Nick." He replied wryly. "I just...had a visitor, that's all."

"Who?" Lena asked as she helped little Nicky O'Neill off with his jacket.

"Ria. She left her sweater here last night and came to get it." Tony answered, his eyes fixed on the floor.

"That's great!" Lena said, not looking at her friend.

Nick, on the other hand, noticed Tony's body language. "Something happen?'

"Besides her weeping in my arms, not much..."

By now, Lena had finished and stood next to her husband. "What?"

Tony sighed. "We were talking and...we had a moment." He replied, knowing very well that the married couple would catch his drift.

Lena could barely contain her excitement. "You did?"

He nodded and got a faraway look in his eyes. "Talking to her was probably the most comfortable thing I've ever done...even more comfortable than dancing."

"So, why do you look like you just lost a trophy by a point?" Nick asked, studying his friend.

"I don't think she's quite as comfortable with me yet..."

"Tony, she's got a lot to deal with..."

The Albanian nodded. "I know that...but when I held her, she pulled ME closer to her...and that right there gives me a little hope." He finished with a small smile.

"I'm happy for you." Nick said, a tiny smile gracing his lips.

Tony's smile widened into a grin. "I got her to say "see you later" instead of goodbye."

"See...she likes you." Lena said with a knowing smile.

"She just may need to have some time..." Nick agreed.

A blush slowly spread over Tony's face, but he nodded soberly. "It's kinda scary...but I already know that I'd do anything for her..." He whispered.

Nick looked at Lena and then back at Tony. "I know what you mean."

Tony smiled as Lena blushed this time. "The things we're prepared to do for love...like buying fake jewels in bulk..." He teased.

Lena rolled her eyes and Tony laughed. "I think I'm gonna go for a walk."

"I saw a sign for Karaoke In The Park this afternoon..." Nick said. "And we all know how much you like to sing..."

"Mmm..." Tony murmured.

As Tony began walking out the door, he turned. "Hey, Nick? Did you find me a place to practice?"

Nick shook his head. "I'll keep looking."

He nodded. "Thanks..."

Suddenly, a thought came to him. "Uh...Nick, isn't the roof above the boys' room flat?"

Nick gave his friend a sharp look. "Yes..."

Tony's eyebrow raised in interest. "Well...it might do for a little while..."

"Tony..." Nick began warningly.

"What? I did this all the time as a kid!" He said as he dashed off to Tommy and Danny and Nicky's room.

"Oy...somehow I do NOT have a good feeling about this..." Nick groaned.

"Neither do I." Lena breathed. "I'm NOT letting the boys anywhere near Tony for the next twelve years!"

Nick chuckled. Then, he placed a kiss on the top of her head. "Shall we try to keep Tony from giving our sons bad ideas?"

"We might as well try..."

Tony walked into the room where Tommy and Danny sat, playing with Legos and opened a window.

"Uncle Tony, what are you doing?" Danny asked curiously.

"I'm gonna dance on the roof like I did when I was..." He stopped himself. If Lena had any inkling that he was encouraging her boys in something potentially dangerous, she would kill him. He was STILL trying to recover from the tongue-lashing he'd received after taking Nick ice-fishing! "Like I did in New York."

"Ah. Well don't fall." Danny advised sagely.

"Thanks for having such faith in me." Tony said, mocking hurt as he climbed out the window.

Tommy giggled and Danny smiled. "Anytime." The boy replied.

As Tony's feet could barely be seen through the glass, Nick and Lena reached the room.

"Oy..." Nick said slowly.

"He's doing what he did in New York." Tommy said, proudly. "When we grow up can we do that?"

Nick and Lena exchanged looks. "Only when you are VERY grown up!"

"Sweet!" Tommy said, running outside to see Uncle Tony dance on the roof.

Danny shook his head, but followed his twin outside to see the spectacle.

Tony had begun some simple stretches and then gracefully begun some turns with the O'Neills and the Kosoviches watching in horrified fascination. A car pulled up and Cassie stepped out. With the trees in the way, she wasn't able to see why everyone was gathered around the back bedroom, but as she got closer, she noticed Tony dancing on the roof. "TONY!" She cried, in surprise.

Tony was startled by Cassie's shout and tried to balance, but to no avail. "AAH!" He yelped as he pitched forward and off the edge of the roof.

"TONY!" Lena cried as she ran to the man on the ground.

The adults practically threw their children behind them as they hurried to aid Tony.

"Oy..." He said, clutching his right arm.

"Tony, you okay?" Nick asked, bending down as far as his own injured appendage would allow.

"Hurts." Tony said past gritted teeth.

Sam pushed past everyone, being the one with the most medical field training. "It's broken." She confirmed.

"Great..." Tony groaned.

"I can splint it temporarily and we can get you to the infirmary." She said, looking the dancer in the eyes.

He nodded. "Do what you need to do."

"Are you sure you want to tell her that?" Jack asked, trying to lighten the atmosphere. "She splinted my leg once...and let me tell you, it hurt like hell!"

"Jack!" Lena scolded as the children looked at their uncle and father in horror at the bad word that had escaped his lips.

"I've broken my legs before...it can't hurt as bad as having a Boy Scout do it." Tony joked lightly.

Sam threw her husband a glare as she carefully got to her knees. Somehow doing this when one was not nearly five months pregnant was a LOT easier...

Closing his eyes, Tony clenched his teeth and prepared himself for the inevitable pain to follow.

"I'm sorry..." Sam apologized as she pulled on the injured limb.

"That's...okay..." Tony replied, breathing hard to keep from screaming.

When Grace screamed at the sight of what her mother was doing to Tony, Nick turned around. He noticed Cassie's blank, horrified look. "I'm gonna go and do some damage control." He told his wife.

She looked behind her and nodded.

In order to distract himself from what Sam was doing, Tony started softly singing the Bon Jovi classic "Livin' On A Prayer".

Lena looked at Tony. "Bon Jovi?"

"Hey, you got a better idea?" He shot back.

"Not exactly." She admitted.

She turned to the kids. "All right...let's go in the backyard, okay, kids?"

They all obeyed and Danny had an arm around Grace. And for once, the adults didn't do a thing about it...still too wrapped up in Tony's injury to worry about the puppy love going on...

But as Lena herded the children to the backyard to play with the swing set that Jack had set up for the kids, Cassie took a breath and walked into the house, unaware that Nick was following her.

Sam had to laugh when Tony began singing "You Make Me Feel Like A Natural Woman," complete with falsetto.

"Uh, Tony...I'm not trying to make you feel feminine." She said, chuckling.

He merely grinned and went straight into "Ain't No Mountain High Enough."

Sam just chuckled as she finished tying the last knot. "Okay...Jack, can you help me get him into the car?"

"Yeah." He said, helping her place Tony carefully in the backseat. "Where are we taking him?" He asked softly.

"The infirmary." She said, as if there was no question.

"And we're gonna get him in there with no clearance how?"

She bit her lip. "Well, it is kinda your base now, isn't it?"

"I can always be blindfolded and turn my iPod up..." Tony volunteered.

Jack looked at Sam and then at Tony and back at Sam. "Sam, you know that clearance doesn't just drop out of the sky…"

"But Jack, he needs to go to the infirmary!" She whispered harshly.

"We could take him to a hospital!" Jack insisted.

"I have insurance." The injured man said through clenched teeth as he felt another shockwave of pain.

Sam took a deep breath. "Right." She jumped into the front seat of the car as Jack ran around to the driver's seat.

"You okay there, Tony?"

"You betcha." He said, trying not to pass out.

--

Meanwhile, Cassie stood in the kitchen, tears slipping down her cheeks.

"Cassie?" Nick asked, gently alerting her to his presence.

She turned, taking a small gasp as she realized that someone had caught her in her moment of weakness. "Nick!" She said, wiping her cheeks.

"Are you okay?"

"Yes, I enjoy potentially ruining dancer careers." She said, giving Nick a sarcastic smile.

"You haven't done that yet." He said, comfortingly.

"Keyword: potentially."

"Cassie, the first incident was really my fault. I should never have followed you and Liam. And Tony was stupid to practice on the roof! Lena and I told him that, but he insisted that he did it all the time as a kid! Right then and there, we knew we'd never be able to convince him otherwise."

"So, you let him get on the roof?"

"He's thirty years old, Cassie!" Nick said, chuckling. "How the heck were we supposed to tell him that he was grounded?"

She managed a smile at his pun. "I don't know…"

"Anyway, Cassie…it's not your fault. It was an ACCIDENT. That's all that it was."

She nodded. "I know…"

Nick studied her for a long moment. "Then why do you think that you deserve hell and everything in it whenever something happens?" He asked gently.

Cassie looked at the ground. "Because I do."

Nick reached out and tipped her chin up so she was looking into his eyes. "No, you don't." He responded firmly.

She pulled away. "Yes, I do, Nick..."

"I'm afraid I'm a man, and therefore don't understand...explain it to me."

"I can't." She said, looking out the window at the children playing outside. "It's classified."

Nick crossed his arms. "In case you've forgotten, I have clearance."

"Not for this, you don't..."

There was a haunted look in her eyes that Nick had never seen before in the usually happy-go-lucky young woman.

"Then tell someone who does...I hate seeing you like this." Nick told her, a sad expression on his face. Turning away, he began walking away with his slight limp.

"Nick!" She called after him. "It's...I almost blew up Earth."

He turned his face and looked at her. "Did you have a plan to do this?"

Her lip quivered. "They saved me and almost died..."

"Cassandra, look at me." Nick ordered, his voice quiet, yet commanding.

She swallowed down tears and looked into his eyes.

He held her gaze. "Did you come here intending to destroy the people of this planet?"

"No. But...I should have..."

He placed a finger up in the air. "Just because you didn't know doesn't mean you SHOULD have known..."

He placed gentle hands on her shoulders. "You've been placing a burden on yourself that should be reserved for the person who did this."

"She's dead." Cassie said, looking at the floor. "But if that was the only thing I'd done, I'd be okay..."

"Tell me."

"Before that, when I was ten, my mother asked me to go to school, I went off to play in the forest. When I came back, everyone was dead...And then, when I was fifteen, I got sick, and I..." She whimpered softly. "I hurt my mom...they wouldn't let me go back, and I...I almost got them killed again..."

"You're not the only one who's hurt their mother..." Nick replied softly, his own eyes mirroring the pain in Cassie's.

She swallowed. For a moment, she could see flashes of Nick's memory, and in that instant, she put her hand on his shoulder. "It'll all be okay."

He gave her a small half smile, then sobered. "Cassie, as for you going and playing in the forest...it's because of you that the SGC knows anything about your people...by being alive, THEY are still alive. You remember them and all of the things that your parents taught you...that's something you can never lose."

She nodded, returning the half-smile before giving him a light hug. "Thanks for your help." She said, sadly. "But it's really hard to be the sole survivor of an entire people and then threaten the lives of those you hold dearest to you not once, but twice..."

"Yes…it is…but you're strong, and you can handle it…"

She nodded as she sighed. "Trust me...everything's going to be okay between you and your mother...and Thomas lives on in you, Raddeus, your mother, and even your sons…"

"My mother?" He choked, as tears burned the back of his eyes at the mention of his mother and little brother.

She gave a weak smile. "I'm…psychic."

He took a deep breath before nodding. "Wow…"

"It'll get harder before it gets better, but...all will be resolved..."

He couldn't stop the tears from spilling over and falling down his cheeks.

Nick rubbed at his face with a free hand, though his eyes were now red. "Ready to go face the world?"

She shrugged. "Maybe..." Then, she grinned. "I'm supposed to meet Liam for lunch..."

"There you go..." He said, nudging her gently.

She sobered again. "Let me know how Tony is, okay?"

"You gonna be okay?" She asked after his wordless nod.

"As ok as I get." Nick replied.

"Okay." She said, eyeing him carefully. "Are you sure I didn't just totally weird you out?"

He nodded. "To be perfectly honest, Raddeus and I almost have a telepathic connection...we always have since we were children...we can sometimes feel each other's emotions."

"I've heard of that...are you by any chance part Maori?"

Nick smiled. "We're 3/4 Maori."

She nodded. "So...you're used to someone telling you exactly how you feel..."

He nodded and smiled ruefully at her. "I never had to call Raddy after I won a competition...he would call me!"

She laughed. "That's an amazing connection..."

"It's something we grew up with...to us, it's perfectly normal." He shrugged.

She nodded. "But don't take it for granted, Nick..." She said, seriously, almost returning to her somber telepathic state of mind. "He knows more about you than even you know..."

Nick's brow furrowed slightly, but he nodded his understanding and guided her outside to the car. "Liam will be waiting." He teased.

"Sorry...that probably made me sound like a stalker." She said, recognizing the furrowed brow as a sign of her slightly catatonic state of "seeing."

"As long as you stalk Liam..." Nick said, winking cheekily at her.

She chuckled. "I don't think what we do is exactly called stalking..."

Nick shuddered. "Gah!"

"So, you can dish it out, but you can't take it?" She asked, referencing his reaction to the mini-scarring that she had given him.

"Oh, dishing it up is NO problem..." He replied, a wicked grin on his face.

"Taking it on the other hand?" Lena asked, as she led the children, traipsing through the kitchen.

"I only take it from you, dear." He replied suavely.

Cassie chuckled. "I've gotta go, or I'd stick around..."

"Go on with you, then."

"Just don't scar the kids..." She pleaded as she hurried out the door.

"We'll try..." Nick said, reprising the line from "Shall We Dance?"

"Do you HAVE to quote Tony's movie when he's not around?"

"Of course! He's not here to smack me!" Nick shot back, looking extremely pleased with himself.

She smacked him lightly on the arm. "But I am...and I'm starting to get tired of you quoting my favorite film!"

"Oy...meanie!" He pouted.

"Meanie?" She asked, raising a perfectly sculpted eyebrow. "Don't you remember why it's my favorite film?"

He smirked and pulled her closer to him. "Why don't you remind me?"

"Well, you see...there's this dancer...and he's competing in the first competition that Paulina saw...his partner was the one with the gorgeous dress...with all those lovely sequins..." She said, winking as she pulled out of his embrace.

Nick's mouth dropped open, then he smirked. "Danny, help me upstairs." He ordered his eldest.

Lena raised an eyebrow. "Oh no...the kids are our responsibility!"

Nick looked at her innocently. "I just need to use the bathroom."

"There's a bathroom on this floor." She said, walking away, a slight sway in her hips.

Nick kept himself from growling. "I know that, but I also wanted to change my shirt. Come, Danny."

The boy obediently helped his father upstairs and gave him other assistance he required.

Lena chuckled to herself as she got lunch on the table. She was going to be the death of her husband yet...

Nick and Danny came back a few minutes later, Nick in a pair of tight jeans that had a rip in the left knee and an even tighter turquoise tank top that set off his dark complexion and hair very well. He had even applied some of her favorite cologne.

Lena looked up from the macaroni and cheese she had prepared for the kids only to gasp at the sight of her VERY hot husband...

Nick allowed his son to lead him to the table where he took a seat, slouching slightly, his arm nonchalantly hanging over the back of the chair.

"Did you want some lunch?" Lena asked, recovering her voice after a few seconds. So much for being the death of her husband...he would be the death of her...

"That'd be lovely." He replied in full accent.

The tightening in her stomach increased as did her blush. Underneath her breath in Russian, she muttered a few choice words as she handed the bowl to him.

"Ta, luv." he replied, winking at her and allowing his fingers to brush hers.

The electric shock was still there...and she took a deep breath. She and Nick were the only adults there...they couldn't just leave the kids...No matter how much she wanted to...

"Hello? Anybody home?" Daniel Jackson called from the living room.

Lena practically ran to the archaeologist. "Daniel! Could you watch the kids?"

"Ummm...sure. Teal'c and I were actually coming to see if they wanted to go to the park." Daniel replied, understanding all too well what was going on after seeing how Nick was dressed.

"But we just got back!" Grace pouted. "And I'm hungry!"

"Why don't we go to McDonald's then?" Daniel asked, thinking quickly.

"They'd love to!" Lena said, helping Nick up from his chair.

Daniel shook his head a couple times, trying VERY hard to keep his brain from wandering down paths he did NOT want to contemplate. "Have...fun...whatever. Come on guys, let's go get shoes on."

However, as they walked out the door, the make-out session had already begun, Nick's smirk still VERY much in place.

--

Tony drifted in and out of consciousness on the ride over to the hospital, his leg throbbing.

"Almost there, Tony." Sam reassured.

"Okay...I think the driver is going to get my bill for this.." He joked weakly.

"Hey..." Jack said, pulling into the emergency room entrance of the hospital. "I heard that..."

"I know." Tony moaned, clutching his arm and saying several phrases in Albanian.

Sam took a deep breath as she stepped out of the truck and walked over to the door and opened it. "Okay...come on, Tony..."

Ria walked into the room, picking up the chart on the door. As a nurse practitioner, she often cared for injured limbs on her own. She rifled through the chart. "My name is Ria Sangford, Mr. Dovol..." She looked at the name on her chart and then up at her patient. "Tony?"

Tony looked up blearily at her. "Ria?" He asked hopefully.

"Hi." She said, smiling sympathetically. "So...what happened?"

"I was dancing on the roof and gravity decided to come calling." He said, panting. His arm was really hurting.

"Okay...Tony...stay with me..." She said, soothingly.

He focused his eyes on her face and blinked several times. "Always." He finally murmured.

--

An hour later, Ria was finished with her shift and passed Tony's room. She wondered if she should stop in and see how he was doing again- this time as his friend- however, as she was contemplating this, Samantha O'Neill walked past, having just come from the restroom. "Ria!"

She smiled. "Colonel Carter!"

"It's Sam."

"Sam." She said, nodding. "How's Tony?"

"He's all right…keeps insisting that he doesn't need any painkillers, but…he's all right."

Ria shook her head. "Taking one's medication is not a sign of weakness…if anything NOT taking prescriptions is a sign of weakness."

"I agree…but he won't listen to Jack or me."

She took a deep breath. "D'you think he'd listen to me?"

"Maybe."

Ria opened the door. "Tony?"

"Ria!" He murmured, deliriously.

"So, you're trying to be a macho man…"

"What?"

She sat on the side of the bed, her jacket folded over her left arm. She gently brushed away one strand of his unruly dark hair from his face. "Why aren't you taking your pain medication?"

"It's for sissies…" He said, slurring his 's's.

She chuckled. "Tony, you can hardly focus on what's happening around you. What's so macho about that?"

He chuckled softly. "Okay…fine…you got a glass of water?"

"Of course."

Sam brought the small pitcher over and filled up the glass. Meanwhile, Ria handed Tony the small pain pills. "Here."

He placed the pills on his tongue and took a swig of water to swallow them down with.

She smiled as he settled against the pillows again. "That wasn't so hard, now, was it?"

He shook his head. "Nope."

She stood. "Then, I guess my job here is done…"

"No…stay…"

"Are you sure?"

"I'd like you to stay if you can…"

She chuckled. "I just got off…"

"Now…I thought you worked at the base that everyone seems to have some connection to…" He chuckled. "So…what are you doing here in a public hospital?"

"They're understaffed. I volunteer here whenever I can."

"Oh."

"Yeah…I love it here…the staff is busy, but they're all in it for the job…not the pay, and you can see it…"

"Yeah, you can." He said, looking into her eyes.

Suddenly, they heard the door close, and she turned to find that the O'Neills had left the room.

"Think they'll come back when they realize that they've left their precious cargo?" She teased.

"I don't know…Sam seemed to be taking good care of that…" Tony mused with a teasing gleam in his eye.

"Hmmm…I might have to just take you home then…"

"I wouldn't mind that…"

"Not to MY house!" She chuckled.

"D'oh!"

"To YOUR house!" She shook her head, laughing.

"That'd be quite a drive." Tony said, regaining composure.

"Huh?"

"I live in New York City…"

She swatted him playfully on his uninjured arm. "TONY!"

"What?"

"Hasn't your medication kicked in yet? You should be ASLEEP!"

"I don't know." He said, loftily. "YOU'RE the doctor."

She shook her head. "You're keeping yourself up, aren't you?"

He bit his lip. "Okay…fine…you caught me…"

"Tony, take a nap…when you're done, I'll be here, and I'll take you back to your house…unless the O'Neills didn't REALLY leave us behind…"

He smiled as he let his eyes close. "Okay."

--

Cassie rang the bell to Liam's apartment.

"Yes?"

"It's me, Cassandra."

"Oh, come on up!"

"I'd love to…I don't have a key." She chuckled.

"Right…then I'll be right down…"

"Okay."

Sure enough, a few seconds later, Liam, dressed in black slacks and a blue shirt, came to greet Cassie. He kissed her cheek. "So…how are you?"

"I'm fine." She said, with a somewhat hesitant smile.

"Bella?"

"Tony was rehearsing on the roof and I startled him and he fell off the roof…"

Liam looked at her, surprised. "You really have a thing against dancers, don't you?"

She playfully swatted his arm. "Be good!"

"I'll try…" He said with a grin, reprising Richard Gere's line from "Shall We Dance?"

She tried to glare at him, but ended up laughing instead. "You are a nut, you know that? An absolute nut!"

"Pecan, peanut, walnut, almond, or Brazilian nut?"

She shook her head. "I don't know…I am quite partial to almonds, myself."

"Then, I shall forever be your almond joy." He said with a facetious grin.

She laughed. "Are you trying to make me look like a giggling idiot?"

"You're not an idiot." He said as he leaned over and kissed her cheek. "Nope…you're mia bella…"

"I'm your beautiful?"

"Yes."

She smiled. "You're SO sweet!"

"Thank you. I practice regularly…"

"On who? Lena?" She teased.

"I'll have you know that between my instruction from Nick and my practice on Lena, I have become the master of flattery!"

"Oh…nice…"

"I'm not going to win, am I?" He asked, giving a theatrical sigh.

"Not a chance."

They got into Liam's car, and drove off. "So…Mario and Luigi's?"

Cassie chuckled. She still could not keep from laughing every time she heard their names.

"What?"

"Nothing…"

"Still can't help but laugh at their names, can you?"

She chuckled again. "Well, can you blame me?"

"No, I told you on our first date that I couldn't help but laugh at their names, either…"

She laughed. "Oh boy…"

"So…I ask again…Mario and Luigi's?"

"Might as well…" She chuckled.

--

Tony opened his eyes, feeling less groggy and overall, better, to find Ria sitting beside his bed.

"Hey!"

"Hey!" She responded, as she looked up from her book. "How're you feeling?"

"Better…"

"Good."

"So…Sam and Jack really did leave us, didn't they?"

"Yes, I think they're trying to give us some…alone time…"

"Oh brother."

"That's what I said…" She laughed.

"They must have cast their lot with Nick…"

"Wouldn't surprise me…"

"Me either."

"Well, sadly for you…the hospital is about to kick you out…"

"Darn."

"So…wanna come with me? I'll take you back to the General's…"

"Sure." He said, getting out of the hospital bed.

He was still a little bit groggy from the medication, and he wobbled from the dizzying effects of the painkillers. As he did so, however, Ria bent and captured his arm on her shoulder, steadying him as she stood and placed an arm around his waist. "Ready?"

"Yes."

"Excellent."

Tony smiled at everyone they passed, even wishing people a cheery "good day". He got many smiles in response.

"I should warn you..." Ria whispered. "All of these nurses are religious watchers of _Dancing With the Stars_."

He smirked. "That's ok."

"Well, don't complain when they walk by and swat your behind..."

"Oh believe me, I'm already used to that from dance competitions!" He responded wryly.

"Well, theirs is a cross between hero-worship and fan girl madness...and I can't save you..."

Tony sighed. "Such is the price of fame..."

She gave him a low chuckle as she walked out to her dark blue Honda. "Here." She said, opening the passenger door for him.

"Thanks."

"You're welcome." She said with a smile.

Looking around, Tony saw the radio. "Mind if I turn it on?" He asked.

"Go ahead."

He smiled his thanks at her and flicked the knob on. After finding rap station after rap station, he finally settled on an oldies station playing an old Beatles song, "And I Love Her". Tony sang along, creating his own lower harmony line to the haunting melody that Paul McCartney was singing.

"I love that song." She said with a smile.

He grinned. "So do I...the Beatles were a good band, but I presonally prefer the Moody Blues better."

She chuckled. "Me too...you've got a nice voice. And a good sense of harmony."

Tony smiled. "My sister Lana is a classically trained singer...she taught me how to use my voice."

"Ah. Gotta watch out for those classically trained singers." She teased.

"Yep!" He chuckled.

She laughed as she remembered her days in choir.

"What?"

"Oh, it's just...something I remembered from my days in choir..."

"Okay..."

"Well, you seem to be a low tenor...I was just remembering the fun we used to poke at the tenors..."

"Wanna fill me in?"

She chuckled. "Sure...we used to make fun of them by taking something shiny and hovering it in front of their eyes...then, we'd chant 'shiny object...shiny object...'"

He laughed. "Why on Earth would you do that?"

"Because our tenors had a VERY hard time focusing..." She laughed.

"Well, I'll have you know I focus VERY well." Tony teased.

"On what? The shiny lights or the shiny dance floor?"

"The shiny disco ball." He responded with a serious look before he started snickering.

"At least YOU are able to make light of it...we accidentally offended a number of the tenors..." She chuckled, somewhat embarrassed.

"Awww...poor babies."

"That was our response...they didn't really appreciate it as much as we thought they would..." She laughed.

Tony chuckled, then started bobbing his head as the Kiss song "Crazy Nights" came on. He played air guitar as best as he could.

"Air guitar?" She asked over the din of the music in the background, a distinct laugh in her voice.

"Of course! ALL men play air guitar...except for Nick, who can actually play REAL guitar!"

"He can?"

Tony nodded. "He went to Julliard for a while.

"Julliard?" She asked, surprised.

"Yep. That's where he got his doctorate in ethnomusicology from."

"I had a friend who was an AMAZING pianist...she auditioned for the Master's program at Julliard and they told her to try back later..."

Tony smiled. "Nick plays 5 instruments."

"You're kidding!"

"Nope!"

"Wow...I guess he manages to hide his talents under a bushel..."

"With the kids, he doesn't get to play as much anymore."

"I could see how that would happen..."

Tony sighed. "He plays great jazz drums...you ought to hear him on "Sing, Sing, Sing" sometime."

"Think we should tag-team him sometime? You could Jive with Cassandra!"

Tony grinned. "You'd Quickstep to that song, my dear..."

She blushed. "Sorry..."

"Not a problem."

"I thought that I was getting a hang of the dance lingo last night...but I only embarrassed myself today..." She laughed, nervously.

"Ria, it's fine." Tony said, resting his good hand lightly on her arm.

She smiled. "Sorry...every once in a while, I get kind of a panic attack of nervousness...and it's usually with people that I feel the most comfortable with...so, you should count yourself lucky."

He smiled lazily. "I certainly will, at that..."

She blushed again. "I didn't mean to make that sound like I was...well, you know...some prize to tote around...I just meant..."

She trailed off. "I'm babbling, aren't I?"

"Just a little bit." He chuckled.

She took a deep breath as they approached the O'Neill house. "Sorry."

"Ria...relax."

"Kinda hard..." She admitted as she pulled up in front of the house. "I don't think I've been alone with a guy like this since..." Her eyes glazed over with sorrowful recollection before she forced herself out of the reverie. "Never mind..."

Tony stopped her gently, but firmly. "Since what, Ria?" He asked quietly.

Tears started to touch her eyes. "Since my last date...and that was before my date raped me."

Tony closed his eyes and clenched his teeth together. If he didn't, he knew he would start swearing and want to go find the rat that had done this to her.

"But you knew about that...didn't you?" She asked, studying him, carefully.

"Yes." He sighed.

She gave a derisive chuckle. "So...how'd he get you to say yes? Did he tell you that poor, pitiful Ria needs to know how a gentleman would behave?"

"You are ANYTHING but poor and pitiful." Tony responded, his eyes blazing. "Don't you even think for a minute that I'm doing this out of pity...after my former dance partner dumped me for my former best friend 3 weeks before the biggest competition of the year, I got plenty of pity and I know how much I enjoyed it."

Tears stung her cheeks in the November chill that had suddenly taken hold of those in the car. "I'm sorry...I don't know what came over me...I'm usually better collected than this."

"Sometimes holding everything in just makes it worse." He said gently, his hand rubbing her arm slowly.

She bit her lip to keep herself from sobbing as she collected herself again. "And sometimes, holding everything in is the only way you can keep living..."

Tony took his hand off of her arm and tipped her head up to look at him. "I might not have known you very long, but I do know that I want to be your friend...someone you can lean on if you ever need to."

She gave a tender, yet sorrowful smile, back to this man. "Thank you...but I'm not sure if I'm ready to lean on anyone else...once you start to do that, you can get hurt again."

Her voice was quiet and timid, indicating just how afraid she had become.

Tony nodded. "Believe me, I know that one all too well myself. However, when you ARE ready, I'll be there."

She chuckled through her tears. "Wow...there are some knights in shining armor, aren't there?"

"I'm not a knight...just a guy who tried to do the right thing."

"Well, in my book, that makes one eligible for knighthood." She whispered, truly looking him in the eyes for the first time since they'd met. Both were astounded by just what had been unveiled in this exercise.

"Uh..." Tony began, looking away, suddenly feeling very exposed. "I...I think there's someone watching at the window to see when we'll come inside."

"You go ahead." She said, with a sad smile.

Considering his options carefully, Tony decided to throw caution to the wind. Leaning forward, he put his good arm around her, pulling her against him in a quick hug. "If you need me, call." He whispered before turning away to head into the house.

"I will." She answered, more truthfully than she would have thought possible.

He turned his head, giving her one last smile before the door opened and he was lost to her sight. However, she did not move from her place in front of the house for a long time, thinking back on what had just transpired.


	16. Relief

Two days later, Tony strode into the kitchen, cell phone in his hand. "Hey, does anybody have Ria's number?" He asked fretfully.

"Uh...I might...why?" Sam asked, as she dug into her purse for her day planner.

"I just want to make sure we're still on for Friday night."

"Okay." She said, flipping through the pages. "Aha! Found it!"

"Good." He sighed with relief.

"Something wrong, Tony?" Nick asked, studying the man intently.

"No...why?" He asked defensively.

"Because you're jumpy like a kangaroo on steroids..." The dancer replied, his eyebrow raised in skepticism.

Tony chuckled weakly. "Funny, Nick...real funny."

"Tony..."

"What?" The Albanian asked, sounding like a child who didn't want to fess up to his parents.

"What are you so worried about?"

"She told me she's not ready to trust people." He admitted.

"Oy."

"Yeah." Tony agreed softly.

Nick looked at his friend, somewhat uncomfortably for a moment. "I wish I knew what to tell you..."

He shrugged. "It's not easy...I've been there."

"Yeah, I know..." Nick said; his voice filled with regret at the thought of the suffering that his friend had endured because of his blindness to Inna's flaws.

"So, I'm just going to give her a call and make sure that things are okay."

"That's a good idea..." Nick agreed before an idea struck him. "Wait, Tony…did YOU suggest the date, or was it kind of a...mutual understanding?"

His brow furrowed. "I think it was mutual understanding."

"Well...still check it out, but...don't worry about it quite as much...she may have just had a bad day..."

"I will."

"Okay."

Tony took the number and punched it into his cell phone. Taking a couple of deep breaths, he hit the "call" button and waited for a few seconds.

"Hello?"

"Hi Ria, it's Tony." He said nervously.

"Tony!" She greeted, happily. "How're you?"

"Good. Actually, I was just wondering if we're still on for Friday night..."

"Of course!"

"Okay." He replied, his voice infused with relief.

"You thought I'd cancel?"

"I had no idea." He said honestly.

"Do you want to talk about it?" She asked, somewhat puzzled over his nervous hesitation.

"Nah...it's fine."

"Are you sure? 'Cuz I don't want you walking on eggshells around me..."

"Ria, it's fine...honest." Tony replied, chuckling.

"You're positive...it's a pain to pull the shredded egg shells out of someone's feet..." She teased.

Tony shook his head and laughed. "I'm sure, Ria...believe me."

"Okay. So, other than the fact that you were worried that I would cancel on you...which, by the way, I would NEVER do...what's up?"

He sighed as he walked outside so he could conduct the conversation in private. "I just...didn't know if I'd made you uncomfortable the other day with the direction our conversation had taken..."

She sobered. "Oh. No, I just...I had some things that I needed to get off my chest. I'm sorry that they made you insecure."

"They didn't make me insecure...I was just thinking of you."

She smiled. "Then, I'm fine. Thank you for being so considerate."

"You're welcome. I'll see you on Friday."

"Six o' clock, right?"

"Yep! I even got a NICE rental too."

"You know, we COULD take my car..."

"Yeah, but I really wanted to take you in my rental." Tony fake whined.

"Fine." She said, with a theatrical sigh. "If that's what makes you feel better about yourself...pooky."

"Oh you did NOT just call me that!" Tony squawked.

"Wanna bet?"

"Fine...snookums."

It was her turn to squawk. "NO! Anything but snookums!"

"Then if you don't call me pooky, I won't call you snookums...deal?"

She sniffed. "Fine."

He chuckled. "Mirë u pafshim."

"In English, if you please..."

"Good bye."

"Already?" She complained. "And I was just getting started!"

"Well, if you still want to talk to me, I guess I can fit you in..." He teased.

"Well, in THAT case..." She replied, haughtily.

"Aw, come on...I'm just a poor boy from another country who doesn't have any friends here..." He wheedled.

"And yet, you guess that you can pencil me in?"

"Okay, fine...my every waking moment shall be devoted to you. Happy now?"

"Perhaps."

He pretended to be aghast. "Perhaps?!? Perhaps?!? What do I have to do, serenade you?"

"It wouldn't hurt..." She chuckled, teasingly.

"Okay...what's your favorite song?"

"I was joking, Tony..." She clarified, thinking that perhaps her use of humor had gone overboard.

"Afraid I'll butcher it?" He challenged jokingly.

"Well, I do love Puccini arias, but...those don't exactly make good serenades..."

"Yeah...and opera ain't exactly my thing." He chuckled. "What about musicals?"

"Well, since we DO seem to be channeling a little West Side Story with the Tony and Maria love story," she teased, "That MIGHT work. But one of my favorite songs of ALL time is a jazz chart."

"And that is..." He prompted.

She blushed, somewhat embarrassed, suddenly grateful that she was on the phone, rather than talking to him live. "(I Love You) For Sentimental Reasons."

"Ahhh...that's a nice one."

"Yep...and Kurt Elling...his voice...it's..." She sighed. "It's just like butter!"

"So I guess I have some competition then."

She laughed. "No...it seems as though he is in a perfectly happy relationship...and it's NOT with me."

"Yes! There's still hope!" He crowed.

She chuckled. "Yes...there is hope IF you're interested."

"I think I am." He answered.

She sobered. "Good...'cuz I'm interested too."

"That's good for me then." Tony answered, a slightly smug tone to his voice.

"Oh, don't go and get all smug about it, or I might have to come over..."

"Hmmm...that has distinct possibilities..." Tony purred.

"Fine. I'll be over in about fifteen minutes...what should we do?"

Tony's mind raced. "Ummm...hmmm...want me to consult the board game king?"

She laughed. "You might as well...I also have cards...I can bring them if you want...we can play slap jack…"

"Don't EVER play that game with Nick..." Tony warned. "He has a way of winning it whenever he plays."

"In other words...he cheats." She laughed.

"He cheats...and he charms his way out of it." Tony intoned darkly, as though he was talking about some spawn of the devil.

"Well, it IS Nick...he was THE charmer in the infirmary!"

"I bet..." Tony groaned.

"And if you thought that the nurses at the hospital were bad, you haven't seen the nurses in the infirmary!"

"Do they have the hots for Mr. Kosovich?"

"You could say that...it's always 'Nick told me this'...'Nick did this for me'...'Nick chose Ria to take him to the surface'..."

"Oh dear...you are the chosen one..." He teased.

"Yes, I am..." She chuckled.

"And I'm sure that Nick will probably milk that charm for all it's worth..."

"Are you saying that I shouldn't come over?"

"Not at all!" He said hastily.

"I'm already on my way," she soothed.

"Okay...just checking."

"So...who all is there?"

"Just me, Lena, Nick, Sam, and the assortment of children."

"An assortment of children?" She asked, chuckling. "Please tell me that you at least know how MANY are there..."

"Nope!"

She laughed. "You are something else, Tony Dovolani."

"That's what my mother always says..." He mused. "Except when she says it, it sounds more like this: Je diçka përndryshe, Driton!"

"Driton?"

"Crap!" Tony groaned.

"Some embarrassing name or something?"

"Yep...my first name." He admitted.

"What's so bad about it?" She asked, honestly. "I like it."

"That name got me beat up in school..." He shuddered. "And my middle name isn't any better!"

"What's that?"

"Antonius." He muttered.

"Kinda makes you sound Roman." She said, trying to stifle a chuckle,

"I know."

"You say that like it's a bad thing..."

"I don't like the name too much, but if I ever changed it, Mami would have a fit!"

"Driton Antonius Dovolani...sounds regal."

"Which I am NOT." He laughed.

"Don't sell yourself short!" She admonished. "You're very chivalrous...a true knight in shining armor!"

"Yeah, yeah...now are we going to see how badly Nick cheats or not?" He said, suppressing a chuckle.

"I'm actually just pulling up to the house now…"

Tony grinned as her car came into sight. "See you in a few seconds..."

"All right." She said as she turned the engine off and replaced the gloves that she had discarded in the fully heated car.

He closed his flip phone and hurried over to her car, opening the door for her before she could get a hand on it.

"Thank you." She said, with a smile. "Driton."

He gave her a mock glare.

"What? I'm not making fun of it! I really do like it!"

"And I don't!" He said, laughing.

"Maybe I haven't found the right way to say it." She said, darkly. Suddenly, her eyes turned very flirtatious and sensual. "Driton." She whispered with her voice low and seductive.

Tony's eyes widened and he had to consciously keep himself from drooling. "Not...bad." He said, coughing.

She laughed. "Sorry...I guess I got a little carried away, there, Tony. You don't like the name, and I should respect your wishes."

"Hey, if you want to call me Driton like THAT ever again, feel free..."

"And I'll file THAT away for future use..." She said, hurrying to the house before he could catch her.

"Hey!" He said, chasing her.

"Last one to the house is a rotten egg!" She called as she reached the steps.

"Oh, come on! You bamboozle my senses, then leave me to give chase?"

She turned. "Bamboozle, huh?"

"Yep."

"Go me." She said, softly as Tony reached her.

He stood there, contemplating her for a long moment.

"What?" She asked, somewhat nervous at the obvious scrutiny,

He gave her a lopsided smile before he answered.

"In this place I do not know, I see a treasure, rare and bright. In radiant day or darkest night, this golden one I'll always seek..." He said softly.

"That's...beautiful." She said, almost breathless.

"Really? I just made it up." He shrugged, somewhat embarrassed.

"For me?" She asked, somewhat timidly.

"Yeah...for some reason, you move me to be poetic."

Her stomach flip-flopped as she looked into his honest eyes once again. She was overwhelmed with the clarity that she could see within them. "I'm...I'm not anyone that has ever inspired some creative genius before." She managed, recovering quickly.

"Then maybe they weren't looking..."

Suddenly, there was a creak as the door opened. "Are you two coming in or not?" Danny asked, somewhat impatiently.

"Yeah...we're coming Danny." Tony said, stepping back so Ria could enter first.

Part of her was disappointed that the small boy had interrupted their moment. But on the other hand, she was almost petrified by how much she had learned about this wonderful man near her, and she didn't want to know any more, for fear that she should fall in love with him- he was certainly one of the ones that she would fall for...HARD.

Closing the door after them, Tony looked over at Nick. "Hey Nick, Ria brought cards over...you up for a game of slap jack?"

"Am I ever!" Nick said with a grin. "Nice to see you again, Ria." He said, walking over and kissing her hand, graciously.

Tony snorted. "And Mr. Charming strikes again..." He murmured.

"Oh, don't worry...I'm almost impervious to the charm." She whispered with a chuckle.

"Nice!" Tony said admiringly as Nick pretended to pout.

She grinned. "Yes, well, thank you...you can hold your applause until I win the game..."

Nick smirked. "No way…I'M winning the game."

"I'll win, and catch you cheating!" She said, challenging him.

"Me, cheat? Never!" He said, looking at her innocently out of his chocolate brown eyes.

"Oh, Tony already told me all about your methods..."

"I do NOT cheat." Nick said, sounding deeply affronted by this.

"Whatever." She said, giving him a grin as Tony took her coat.

Rolling her own eyes in testament to the untruth of her husband's statement, Lena took a seat at the coffee table. "Would you like to play, Danny?" She asked.

"May I, Mum?" He asked, hopefully.

"You may...you can help us make sure your Daddy doesn't cheat." She replied with a smirk.

"Okay. Now, is this one of the times that I get to play with you until I get the hang of the game?" He asked his mother.

"I think you'll be able to pick this one up rather quickly."

"But I like to play with you, Mummy!"

Lena smiled as she picked the boy up and set him on her lap. "All right."

Ria chuckled as she shuffled the cards. "Better watch out for him when he's sixteen, Lena…he'll be breaking hearts…"

Lena chuckled as she ran a hand through her son's hair. "He's already starting to exhibit some of Nick's charm…"

"Mum, I'm right here!"

"I know, sweetheart!" She laughed.

"All right…let's get this party started!" Nick said, sitting between Lena and Ria.

Lena looked at her husband, one eyebrow raised. He returned the look innocently which only served to deepen her suspicions.

"You are NOT going to try death by close proximity, are you?"

"Of course not!" Nick replied.

"Uh huh...not going to pull out the accent, lean carefully into her so that you can see her cards, but make her so enamored that she doesn't notice?" Lena asked, her eyebrow raised.

"My dear, I am gravely offended that you would even suggest such a thing." He sniffed.

"Oh, I KNOW you would do that...you do it to ME every time we play poker!"

"Yes my dear, but you are my special one…" He replied, smiling.

"Right..." She said, rolling her eyes.

"You are!" He protested.

"No, I know that...but it's not like you wouldn't try the same trick on the other woman sitting by your side..." She said, sweetly.

Nick's lower lip trembled slightly. "I can't believe you would think that of me..."

"All right, folks!" Tony interrupted. "Let's get started before Nick and Lena start making out...I mean, making up..."

Nick shot his friend a good natured glare before turning his attention to his cards.

"Person to the left of the dealer is going first..." Ria said, authoritatively. "So...Tony, go ahead."

Tony laid down his card, the 2 of clubs and waited, eyes fixed on the cards to see if the next one would be a Jack.

Lena whispered into Danny's ear and he laid down the next card: the Queen of hearts.

Nick laid his own card on top of the Queen and looked at Ria.

She raised an eyebrow as her hand shot out and slapped the Jack before Tony, Nick, or Danny.

"Drat!" Nick grumbled playfully.

She grinned, smugly. "Better pay attention, dancer boy...I'm quick."

"Dancer boy?" Nick asked, one eyebrow raised. Leaning in closer, he growled low under his breath, "You may be a nurse madam, but I still play to win..."

Her breath was taken away for a moment before she gave a tiny cough and placed her own card down on the table.

He smiled to himself as Tony laid down another card and gave him a mock glare across the table.

"Get your eyes off my girlfriend!" He growled, playfully. "You've got your wife next to you..."

"I know...I'm blessed to be in the presence of two of the loveliest creatures on the earth." He replied suavely.

"Oh, this is war!" Tony said as Danny slapped the Jack of spades that he and his mother had just lain down.

"Good going Danny!" Nick said, pleased that his son had gotten the cards this time.

"I know." The young boy said, smugly.

Nick chuckled as he placed the ace of Hearts down and awaited Ria's card.

She placed the ten of clubs down and all eyes turned to Tony.

Tony laid down the Jack of Spades and before he could move his hand, Nick's tanned fingers were already on the face of the card. "Yes!"

"Beginner's luck." Ria muttered as she peeked at Nick from under her dark eyelashes.

"Ah, but I am no beginner..." Nick purred as he shuffled his cards.

She shuffled her own and Tony and Lena looked at one another, as though at a loss for words at the competition that this had become...

Shrugging his shoulders, Tony waited as Ria put down a card, then set his own on top of it.

Danny placed his own card on top of the pile, and Nick followed suit.

Ria put down another card, this time the Jack of hearts. She got it, but Nick was right behind her. "I think it's mine..." She said.

Smiling, Nick picked up her hand and kissed it. "You may have them."

Lena looked at her husband, giving him a mock glare. "And you said you wouldn't play dirty..."

"I said I wouldn't cheat..." He reminded.

"Oh, there's SUCH a difference." She said, one eyebrow raised as Tony and Danny placed down their cards.

"Trust me, there is..." He said, reaching under the table with his foot and dragging his toes up and down her leg.

Suddenly, she was filled with frustration. "That was low." She said, her eyes sending darts toward him.

He sat back and smirked, his foot now migrating down to the arch of her foot. "THAT is low, my dear."

She bit her lip as she watched the game progress...grateful that her son was so observant, and not about to let the adults win the game.

More cards were thrown down with Nick getting them this time. "I think I might lose!" Tony joked as he contemplated the 8 cards he had left.

Ria shrugged. "I would offer to help, but..."

"You're embroiled in the battle royale over there..." Tony said dryly.

"No..." She said, defensively. "There really isn't a way to cheat without being VERY obvious about it..."

"Too true..." Nick agreed as his turn came around again. Setting his card down, he allowed his arm to brush his wife's as he returned his hand back to his stack.

"NICK!"

"Yes?" He answered innocently.

She took a deep breath before muttering to herself in her mother tongue.

"Something wrong, Elena?" He asked, his voice having a distinctly Spanish tinge to it.

She continued to mutter as she watched the cards getting thrown down, rather than look at her husband.

Shaking his head, Tony couldn't help but chuckle.

"Would you two take your UST elsewhere?" Ria asked, setting down a Jack of hearts which Tony slapped first.

"YES!

"Finally, Tony gets some cards back!" Nick said, grinning.

"Not to mention that Ria TOTALLY called you two!" Tony said with a grin.

"Tony, our ST is anything but U..." Nick smirked.

"Well, there's a bit too much frustration in this room for your ST to be anything BUT U."

Nick looked up at his friend and smiled. "There's a child in the room, Driton..."

"And yet...that doesn't stop you..." Ria said, wryly.

Nick raised an eyebrow and put down a Jack that he slapped quickly before anyone else could get it. "Hey, we DO try to keep the scarring down to a minimum..."

"Mummy...this isn't very fun anymore..."

Lena looked down at her son. "Would you rather go outside and play with the others?"

"Yeah...you guys are boring!"

Tony tried not to start snorting.

"Go ahead, son." Nick replied, trying not to start laughing himself.

"Okay."

As they watched him depart, Nick started giggling.

"Happy now, Nick?" Lena asked, as she reacquainted herself with her cards. "You've single-handedly made this an adult zone..."

"Maybe..." He said, still giggling.

She placed down a Jack that Tony reached first again. "YES! I'm NOT going home in disgrace!"

Shaking his head, Nick allowed his foot to resume its course up and down Lena's leg while placing his card down on the table, looking cool and detached.

The whole table was somewhat surprised to hear Lena's low growl.

"Whatever is the matter, mi amor?" Nick asked seductively.

"Would you two PLEASE knock it off?" Tony begged, placing down another Jack, and slapping it. "I'm on a ROLL!"

"If you say so..." Nick sighed.

"No, please...continue..." Ria said, chuckling. "You're giving us the advantage." Seconds later, she also retrieved a few cards by slapping one of the Jacks.

"I'd better not...I think Lena wouldn't be able to handle it..." He said with a wink as he got a few cards of his own back.

A slight blush appeared on the female dancer's cheeks as she laid down her card.

Tony snickered as Ria laid down her card and it came back to him.

"Feel free to forfeit at any time..." He chuckled. "I hear the bedrooms are free during the day..."

"Hmmm..." Nick mused, his voice a couple of octaves lower than normal. "That has distinct possibilities..."

The Russian rant was almost instantly begun again as Lena laid down a card.

Nick bit his lip slightly to keep himself from laughing. Laying the 8 of hearts down, he set down his stack and stretched slowly.

"What? Intimidated already?" Ria asked as she placed down a jack and Lena slapped it, her aggression evident.

"Not intimidated...just feeling a little sleepy."

Tony shuddered as Lena looked at her husband asking him with her eyes if he was suggesting what she thought he was suggesting.

Nick merely smirked as he cut his deck in half, handing one part to Tony and the other part to Ria. "I think I'm going to crash on the sofa." He said, turning his back on his wife and walking into the living room.

"I...I'm suddenly feeling somewhat tired myself..." Lena said, splitting her deck between Tony and Ria.

Tony shuddered and tried not to think about this very hard.

Ria chuckled as she saw Tony's shudder. "So...trying not to think about them playing tonsil hockey?"

"I think they're probably going to be doing worse than that..." He groaned.

She laughed as she slapped the Jack that he had just lain down. "I think you're on a different roll now, Tony..."

"Less talk, more cards." He said, grimacing.

"If you wish...Driton." She said, reprising her flirtatious voice.

He gave her a look but shook his head and was able to reclaim some more of the deck.

She laughed. "I won't be that cruel again. I promise."

"Uh huh..." He drawled, sounding distinctly unconvinced of this.

"Well, if you're going to use YOUR accent against me, you're just asking for it." She said as she placed down a King of Hearts.

"Moi? Never." He scoffed.

Finally, she placed down a Jack, her last card...she managed to reclaim them, and she grinned smugly as she pulled a large chunk of Tony's cards into her own stack.

"Grrrr..." He said. Just then, they heard a loud "thump!" come from the next room. "SO not asking..." Tony said.

"No kidding..." Ria said, shuddering.

"Those two are something else..."

"I'd rather not consider this..."

Tony laid his cards down. "You want to go for a walk?"

"Sure."

"I think it's far safer than staying here..."

She nodded, vigorously.

Grinning, he scooted his chair back and stood up. "Shall we?" He asked formally, offering her his good arm.

"We shall." She said, with a chuckle as she accepted his arm.

He smiled and led her out of the house into the backyard where Sam was watching the children play.

"Colonel Carter!" Ria greeted with a smile.

"It's Sam when we're not on the base, Ria." She replied with a chuckle.

Nicky scampered up to Ria and looked up at her, squinting for a moment. "You pwetty." He pronounced.

"Thank you." She said, kneeling before the three year old. "You're pretty cute yourself."

He grinned at her. "Mommy says I look like Daddy."

"Well, you do." She said, with a chuckle.

Satisfied with this, Nicky stretched up and kissed her on the cheek.

She gave the little boy a hug, holding him close for a little while. "Thank you." She whispered.

He returned the hug before pulling away. "Bye!"

"Bye." She said, standing upright again.

"Cute kid."

"Thank you." Sam said with a smile.

"So…that walk?" Tony asked, offering his arm again.

"Yes, thank you." She said, taking his proffered arm.

"Have fun!" Sam called as she returned her attention to the kids.

"Oh…Sam?" Ria called, turning.

"Yes?"

"Be careful when you go back inside…Nick and Lena were…at it again."

"Thanks."

"So…" Tony began, unsure of where to start.

"So…" She repeated with a tiny chuckle. "A needle pulling thread."

He laughed. "A little too somber for you, huh?"

"Today…yes."

"Well…can't have that…"

"Nope." She laughed, gaily.

He laughed alongside her before she sobered. "Tony…what did you want to talk about?"

"No…I…it's not important."

"Yes, Tony, it is."

"No, it's not."

"Tony!"

"It's not important."

"Okay...what "not important" thing did you want to talk about?" She asked, cheekily.

Tony shook his head and pretended to heave a heavy sigh.

"Don't give me that, Mr. Dovolani!" She said with mock solemnity,

He raised an eyebrow in a manner reminiscent of Nick. "I somehow think we're past the "mister" stage..." He chuckled.

She raised her own eyebrow in response. "We never HAD a "mister" stage."

"True..." He teased, leering at her playfully.

"Come on, Tony!" She almost whined, and Tony was amused. "Tell me!"

"Hmmm..." He mused.

"What?"

"Maybe...maybe not..." He said smugly.

"And what would I have to do to get you to tell me?" She asked, dead seriously.

"Hmmm...let me think about this for a moment." He replied, equally grave.

"I don't have all day." She said, turning her head haughtily.

"Neither do I..." HHHe answered silkily.

"And just what do YOU have to do?" She asked, turning.

"My time is precious too!" He protested.

"I'll let you keep thinking that..." She teased.

"Sure...lead me on..." He said, giving a couple of fake sniffs of sorrow.

"Tony...did you have a point to this walk OTHER than running away from whatever Nick and Lena are doing inside the house?"

"Ummm...I think I was trying to get to know you a little better..."

"Then ask your questions."

"Yes ma'am!" He said, giving her a snappy salute.

She laughed. "Come on...I'm not being THAT unreasonable, am I?"

"No...just had to give you a little grief..."

"As I suspected." She said with a sniff.

He put a friendly arm across her shoulders. "Come on...don't be like that." He coaxed.

She shivered slightly as his arm draped over her shoulders, and she was reminded once again at how oddly comfortable she was with him. "All right...if you insist." She said, a friendly smile on her face.

He gave her one of his megawatt smiles. "Excellent."

"So...let Twenty Questions begin." She said with a tiny chuckle.

"Plant, animal, vegetable or mineral?" He asked, snickering.

"You know what I mean..."

"I know, I know..."

"I know you know..."

"Nobody knows the trouble I've seen..." Tony sang softly.

Somehow this struck a chord in her, and she sobered almost instantly.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

"Nothing."

"Ria..." Tony said, her name rolling off his tongue and sounding like something in his native language.

"That song..." She shook her head. "It's just...it struck a chord in me, and I didn't know what to say..."

He nodded. "It was supposed to be a joke..."

"I know..." She said, a small smile on her face.

Before he knew what he was doing, Tony bent his head and kissed her on the cheek.

Her stomach flip-flopped, and as he pulled away, he realized that she was staring at him. "Sorry...I don't know what got into me." He confessed.

"No...you're fine." She said, when her voice finally returned, surprising her with just how fine it really was. Tony looked straight ahead, feeling his face going hot.

"What?"

"Nothing." He mumbled.

"What?" She asked, more insistently.

"Nothing!" He said defensively.

"Okay." She said, backing off, realizing that she must have just hit a nerve.

He sighed. "You didn't deserve that...I'm sorry."

"No, it's okay." She said, looking forward as they continued walking down the sidewalk.

"This is just...slightly scary."

"I know." She whispered, staring at the sidewalk. "Believe me, I know." She reiterated a moment later.

He nodded, removing his arm from its place around her shoulders. Allowing his hand to trail down her arm, his hand found hers.

She looked at their entwined hands with a tiny smile before she looked into his eyes. "So..."

"So..." He repeated, a twinkle in his eye.

"A needle pulling thread..." She finished.

He grinned and laughed.

"No, really...is there an 'us' now?" She asked, almost teasing in her demeanor.

"If you want there to be." He said quietly.

"I do." She said, seriously.

"Okay then...it's official."

She smiled. "And the rest is history, I suppose..."

"Actually the rest will be our story..."

She looked at their hands again. "I like the sound of that..."

"Something my Mami always says." Tony said.

"What does your Mami always say?"

"History is just made up of stories that happen to intertwine. All you have to do is make your story the best it can be, whether you write it with someone, or you write it alone."

She leaned her head on his shoulder. "I REALLY like the sound of that."

"I think you'll like Mami."

"I hope so."

Tony grinned. "It's the sisters you have you worry about..." He joked.

"Really? You'll have to watch out for my five younger brothers...they may just beat you up to "welcome" you into the family."

"Eeek!" Tony said, eyes widening in mock fear.

"But...I AM a nurse...and I would have to be at your beck and call while I tended to your wounds..." She teased.

"Hmmm...this has possibilities..."

She gave him a playful glare. "Now, don't go doing something stupid and break your leg...I'll see right through that...and good luck trying to get me to wait on your every need..."

"I wouldn't even dream of it." He grinned.

"Better not...you wouldn't be able to dance if you did that..."

He nodded. "And that would be horrible."

"It would be a shame. You're really talented."

He flushed. "Not THAT talented."

"Tony." She reprimanded.

"What?

"I've danced with you...and you're VERY talented."

He smiled. "Thanks."

She returned his smile. "You're welcome."

"Two of my sisters are coming to see me at the competition..."

"Really? What are their names?"

"Lana and Anya."

"Those are beautiful names. Do I get to meet them, or are you going to keep me a secret?" She chuckled.

"You'll get to meet them...also my brand new nephew as well." He said proudly.

"Brand-new nephew?"

"Yep!"

"Name?" She prompted.

"Dmitri Aleksander Kaminov."

"That's a regal name...just like yours."

"My sister picked it...you should hear what her eldest is named."

"Okay..."

"Ivan Janos Kaminov."

"Wow...your family must be pretty royal..."

"The ironic thing is...we're not!" He laughed.

"Oh, you just like to SOUND important, huh?"

"Hey, believe me, I would be GLAD to not have a regal sounding name!"

She pouted. "But Driton, I like your name!"

"I'm...becoming used to it." He admitted.

"In other words, when a girl says it just right...it's not bad, huh?"

"Not too bad…" He grinned.

"I'll have to keep that in mind."

Tony looked at her. "Uh oh..." He said teasingly. "Bad for me, right?"

"Very...very...VERY bad for you..." She said, her eyes darkening sensuously.

"Ah, but I think things could be bad for you as well, Maria." He responded, his accent thickening.

His voice sent shivers down her spine. "I never knew that my average, run of the mill Catholic name could sound so sinful..."

Tony smirked proudly. "Just something for you to think about..."

They reached the park down the street from the O'Neill house, and Ria noticed the children playing on the various playthings. "I love watching children play." She admitted.

Tony nodded. "Children have a freedom in everything they do..."

"Yep...a freedom that we, as adults, envy...they can love and be loved, and they don't worry about getting hurt."

"And they don't worry about whether or not they look silly or if the clothes they're wearing are in fashion or not..."

She grinned. "Don't tell me that you were one of the kids that walked out of the house wearing stripes and polka dots in orange and purple and thought you were cool..."

"No...we didn't have money for clothes like that..." He said softly.

She placed the hand not currently resting in his onto his arm. "Tell me about your childhood."

"We were poor...not starving poor, but definitely not that well off..." He said reminiscently. "We had me, my 3 sisters, my parents, my grandparents, and my great-grandparents all living in one house."

"Wow...four generations in the same house?"

"Yep!"

"Your family must be in immaculate health...I don't remember meeting my great-grandparents at all."

"We've always been that way."

"Really?" She asked, her healthcare professional mind working overtime. "Must have a naturally strong immune system." She mused.

"Yeah...we've always healed from things quickly too." He affirmed.

"Your future wife will thank you for that." She said, smiling.

Tony looked sideways at her, his eyes saying everything he was thinking.

"You might as well say it out loud...I can practically hear it anyway." She said, tenderly.

"Hopefully that will be you..."

"You never really know, though." She said, looking downcast at the ground. "But...there's something that tells me that you're not that far off..."

"Good."

"Yeah."

"Can you put up with me and my crazy Albanian family?" He joked.

"I don't know...at least I know what I'm getting myself into with you, but your Albanian family...I may have to reconsider..." She returned his sense of teasing.

Tony pouted, sticking his lower lip out like a child.

"But...I think having you in my life would be worth putting up with your crazy family...so long as you're willing to put up with mine..."

"Deal." Tony said firmly.

"Good."

"Shall we return?"

"If we must..."

Tony shrugged. "I'm starting to get cold."

"Ah...well if the almighty emperor Driton Antonius says we must return, then return, we shall!"

Tony groaned. "Ack..."

"Just teasing."

"I know."

"So...must we face Nick and Lena again?"

Tony sighed. "I guess so..."

"Oy."

No kidding...I'm surprised they don't have about 99 children by now!"

"Ack!"

He smirked. "What?

She shuddered. "Ewwww..."

He snickered, and kissed her cheek again.

Before he could really pull away from her, she captured his lips with her own, wrapping one hand around his neck. Surprised, Tony resisted for a moment before allowing her kiss to win him over. He freed his hand from hers and wrapped his good arm around her waist, drawing her close to him. Their kiss was the perfect blend of restraint, passion, and tenderness.

Pulling back from her slowly, Tony leaned his forehead against hers. "What was that for?" He asked, feeling like he'd just danced 4 Quicksteps back to back.

"I'm not sure." She admitted, softly. "But it was perfect."

He gave her a lopsided smile. "I think we might want to take this off the street before the kids in that car over there get an eye-full..."

"Of what?"

"True..." Tony said, shifting so he was in front of her. "I wonder if we can get perfection twice..."

"Hmmm...you may just have to wonder..." She said as she pulled away and walked a little further down the road.

Tony's jaw dropped before he walked briskly after her. Grasping her gently yet firmly by the arm, he spun her around and caught her like Antonio Banderas in "Take The Lead." "I'm afraid I don't like to wonder." He whispered, his faces inches from hers.

She was still reeling in shock from the grace and ease with which he pulled her back into his arms. She allowed his lips to descend over hers in a sweet, lingering kiss.

Breaking apart from her, he looked into her eyes, his brown ones dark with passion. "I'd say that was perfect..." Releasing her, he walked away, a slight away in his hips whistling a jaunty Latin tune.

"Don't tell me that we're going to become like Nick and Lena!" She chuckled as she hurried over to him after regaining her senses.

Tony smirked. "Would that really be so bad?" He murmured, his breath warm on her ear.

"Not if we manage to scar them as often as they try to scar us..." She managed, surprised by the strength of the feelings evoked by this man's nearness.

"Precisely." He said, grinning.

"Uncle Tony!" Danny called as he, Tommy and Grace were riding their bikes in the front of the house.

"Hey guys." Tony called.

"Tony! Look! No hands!" Grace called.

Ria winced as she watched the little girl proudly ride her bike, her hands in the air. Sure enough, Grace fell and Ria hurried to her aid.

"Grace!" Danny cried, hoping off of his own bike and kneeling down next to her.

She was crying as Ria and Tony arrived. "Grace, sweetheart, what hurts?"

"My knee." The little girl sobbed.

Tony picked the little girl up while Ria grabbed her bike. "Danny, Tommy. Can you come inside with us?"

"Yes." Danny said, his eyes fixed on Grace. Tommy followed silently.

They hurried into the house where Tony placed Grace onto the counter and Ria reached for the soap. First, she washed her own hands, then she turned to Grace. "I'm going to look at the cut on your knee, okay?"

"Okay..." She sniffed.

Ria examined her knee and saw nothing but a skinned knee. "It's superficial." She told Tony. "Grace...I'm going to clean it up, and maybe we can get your mommy to find you a band-aid..."

"Okay."

Ria quickly washed the cut and turned to Danny. "Can you get Mrs. O'Neill please? Tell her that Grace skinned her knee and that we're trying to find a band-aid."

"Yes ma'am." He said, running outside.

"You're a very good bike rider." Tony said, drying the tears from the little girl's face.

"Thanks." She said quietly.

"Yes, you are...but maybe you should keep both hands on the handlebars..." Ria admonished, a tiny chuckle in her voice now that she knew Grace hadn't been seriously injured.

"Grace!" Sam called, worriedly, as she hurried into the house.

"Mom, I'm okay!" The little girl said as her mother arrived at the

"Are you sure?"

"She's fine." Ria assured.

Danny stood silently nearby, looking concerned.

"Danny? You okay?"

"I'm fine." He said softly.

Tony put a hand on Ria's back to indicate that he would talk to Danny while she filled Sam in on Grace's condition.

"Come on, Sport...something's on your mind...wanna fill me in?"

"I'm fine." The boy insisted stubbornly.

"You're worried about Grace, aren't you?"

"Yes." He muttered.

"She's fine. I saw for myself. She'll get a band-aid and she'll be good as new..."

Danny nodded solemnly.

"Now...wanna go tell her that you're glad she's all right?" Tony asked, seeing that Grace had been lifted off of the counter.

Danny looked over and nodded again. He walked over quickly. "You okay?"

She nodded, showing him her "princess" band-aid. "Yep."

"Good." He said. Kneeling down in front of her, he leaned forward and kissed her knee.

Tony and Ria exchanged tender smiles as Sam watched all of them with a chuckle.

Grace threw her arms around Danny as he stood up. "Were you scared?"

"A little." She admitted.

Danny kissed her for real this time. "It's all right, darling." He said, quoting one of his mother's favorite Gene Kelley movies.

Tony and Ria both looked at Sam who was trying hard not to laugh out loud. Tony intervened, pulling Danny from Grace. "All right, Gene Kelly...go back outside and play."

Danny gave his "uncle" an extremely disgruntled look, but obeyed.

Sam chuckled. "Jack's going to die when he hears about this."

"Actually, Jack is going to kill Nick when Jack hears this."

She grimaced. "He will…"

"Hey, I have an idea…"

"Okay…"

"Let's just keep this little incident as our own little "dirty little secret.""

Ria chuckled. "As if that's really going to work…"

"Well, we can try…"

"I have nothing to do with this." Ria said, pretending to wipe her hands free of the situation. Meanwhile, Tony and Sam nodded as if in a pact.

"Have nothing to do with what?" Jack asked as he walked into the room.

Sam's eyes widened in surprise while Tony sighed. "Just something one of the kids did."

"What did one of the kids do?"

"Grace fell when she was riding her bike and scraped her knee. Ria managed to take care of it really well."

"Thanks, Ria."

"You're welcome."

"Now, back to whatever it is that you aren't telling me…"

"Jack…"

"Don't…" He warned his wife.

"Okay…Danny kissed Grace."

"Well, that's okay…they've done that before…we'll just have to keep a closer eye on them next time…"

"On the lips." Sam clarified.

Jack's previously fairly calm demeanor slipped. "What do you mean?"

"Well, he turned to her and told her that everything would be all right, and before any of us knew what was happening, he kissed her." Tony explained.

"NICK!"

The dancer awoke suddenly from where he and Lena were cuddling on the couch. "What?"

"What the HELL are you teaching your son?"

Nick raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Why?"

"He just kissed my daughter!"

Both Lena and Nick looked at one another in surprise. "What?"

"On the lips." Jack clarified.

"Reprising an old Gene Kelly role."

Nick turned to his wife. "No more Gene Kelly for you, madam."

"But Nick…"

"No buts."

"NICK!"

"I know that you slip out of bed at 4 AM to watch Gene, and then return to bed so that you'll be there when I 'wake up.'"

She pouted as she folded her arms across her chest and bit her lip. "So…there's absolutely NOTHING about this that is even REMOTELY your fault?"

"Of course not! I don't watch Gene Kelly."

"But you have a habit of being at LEAST as charming as the men in those movies."

"I try…but you still run to them…"

"And Milla Jojovich has NOTHING to do with why you watch "Zoolander" and "Ultraviolet!"

"Children!" Jack shouted, stopping the Kosoviches from continuing their spat. "Can we get back to the problem at hand?"

"I don't think it's a problem, Jack." Sam explained.

"You may not, but I do."

"It was kind of cute, actually." Ria agreed.

"And I broke it up." Tony offered.

"Oh, for cryin' out loud!"

"Besides, Nick, didn't you catch your first kiss at FIVE?" Tony asked, turning to the other male dancer.

He blushed as his wife, raised an eyebrow.

"And…didn't YOU imitate Cary Grant?"

Lena's grin was rapidly becoming smug in nature. "I guess I'll get to keep watching Gene Kelly after all…"

" LENA!"

"So, I take it that I'm now officially overruled?"

"Yep…officially." Sam said, pleasantly as she kissed her husband's cheek. "Now, if you'll excuse me, someone needs to be outside, watching the kids. So, unless you'd like to go, I'll be returning in a half an hour or so with the children."

Jack watched his wife leave, and sighed. "I'm never going to win this one, am I?"

"I wouldn't count on winning anything if you're up against your wife." Nick added, helpfully as Lena stood and followed Sam out the door.

"Well…this has been fun, but…I think I'd better be going." Ria said, quickly.

"I'll walk you to your car." Tony offered.

"Thanks." She said, with a tender smile.

As Tony and Ria walked out of the house, Lena returned, a glass of water in her hands. "So…what did your squadron tell you?"

"My squadron?"

"The kids on their bikes…don't tell me you haven't debriefed them yet…"

"Darling, if you care to remember, I was asleep on the couch with you in my arms."

She gave him a tiny smile. "I would have imagined that you would have volunteered to play with the children to get the scoop…"

"I think I missed something…" Jack said, looking between his friends.

"Oh, Nick has a little neighborhood watch program."

Jack's look was priceless, and Nick laughed. "No, not THAT kind of watch. I send the kids out on their bikes whenever one of the couples that I've 'match-made' goes off to be by themselves."

"You spy on them using the KIDS?" Jack asked, incredulously.

"Well, of course! If they saw me, they'd know what I was up to, and I'd most likely get hurt, but they don't have to know that I have spies and minions around them almost all the time."

"So…where are your minions?" Jack asked as he motioned to the window where Tony and Ria were kissing one another good-bye.

"Ooh…this oughta be good…" Nick said, grinning.

"Nick…leave them alone…they've both had a hard time…"

"I know." He said, not turning from the window.

Lena sighed in exasperation, and pulled him to look at her. In his surprise, he didn't object, and she threw her arms around him, kissing him so soundly that he forgot his name…not to mention the young couple outside.

Jack stood. "I'll, uh…go outside with Sam and the kids…"

The couple didn't hear him as he hurried out the back door.


	17. Dates: Gone Right?

There was a knock at Rihana's door as she, Cassie, Sam, Janet, Ria, and Lena were crammed into her base quarters, getting both girls ready for their dates. Cassie walked over to the door, and opened it cautiously to find Kinsah on the other side.

"KINSAH!"

"Cassie!" He said, a warm smile on his face. "Where Rihana?"

"I here." Rihana said, standing, despite the fact that Lena had been using a curling iron on her hair.

"Rihana!" Lena cried, somewhat exasperated as she prematurely released the strip of hair.

"Sorry." The BDU-clad girl whispered submissively as she sat down at the vanity again.

"It's all right." Lena said, taking a deep breath as she remembered that this young woman hadn't grown up on Earth.

"Rihana, what going on?"

She paled. "I…I go on date with Alan!"

"Date?" Kinsah asked, his eyes widening conspicuously. "I thought you ask me before say yes to something like that."

"I sorry." She said, bowing her head in contrition.

"KINSAH!" Cassie said, swatting him on the arm. "If she wants to go on a date with Alan, she can go on a date with Alan! And she doesn't have to ask for your permission!"

Kinsah looked at Cassie and then at his sister. "I not say she need to…just say I thought she would."

"You not angry?" Rihana asked, looking up at her brother for confirmation.

"No. Alan nice man. Take good care of sister."

She gave him a tiny grin. "So…I can go?"

"Yes."

"At least, once we're finished getting you ready!" Janet exclaimed, pulling out one of the outfits that she and Cassie had gotten at the mall earlier that day.

"Okay."

"Now, would you like to wear this?" She asked, holding up the almost ankle-length denim skirt with a slit up the front to the knees and red knitted peasant top with a beautiful crochet pattern on the sleeves.

"Look really fancy…"

"Actually, Rihana, that's one of the borderline outfits we got for you." Cassie said, pulling out the tan flats that she had gotten for the girl. "When you get used to walking in heels, we got some more shoes for you too…"

With that, Cassie pulled out half a dozen pairs of stilettos, block heels, and boots. "But we'll work up to these…"

Rihana actually looked scared by the shoes. "Too fancy!" She proclaimed.

"Rihana, please stay still…I have to finish these curls!"

As Lena and Janet fussed over Rihana, Sam and Cassie fussed over Ria. She was already wearing her outfit of choice, a black a-line skirt with blue pinstripes that came to the middle of her calf and a light blue long-sleeved, v-necked blouse.

The look was completed with a black jacket that featured a silver accent provided by the zipper in the front, as well as closed toe, open back stiletto heels. Her dark hair fell in soft curls around her shoulders, much as it had done at the party when they had been introduced. A silver and black necklace and matching earrings completed the ensemble, while a sheer covering of gold and blue eyeshadow dusted her hazel eyes complimenting her outfit and her coloring. A soft pink blush had been dusted onto her cheekbones, and a soft mauve lip gloss added sheer color to her lips.

"You look gorgeous!"

"Really?"

"Of course! Tony's going to drop dead when he sees you!"

She paled as she looked at the digital clock by the bed. The time read 5:55. "Oh my gosh! I have to get going! I'm already going to be late!"

"Calm down, Ria…I'm sure Tony would rather that you were a little late than that you got into an accident on your way home from work…especially with the way the roads were on our way to work this morning."

She sighed. "You're probably right…"

"I have his number." Lena said, pinning up Rihana's dark hair, finally finished with the curling. "You can call him and tell him that you're on your way, but that you were running a little late after work."

"Which is entirely true." Janet said, looking at the nurse. "SG-13 came in hot, and you didn't get off until 5:15…in fact, you're looking great for only having 40 minutes to get ready…"

"Thank you." She said, recognizing the compliment. "Lena…I think I will call him, but I should still have his number on my cell phone…"

"From when he called you a couple of days ago?" Sam asked, understandingly.

"Actually, from when he called me again today, to make sure we were still on." She laughed.

"Oh boy."

Ria smiled as she whipped out her cell phone from the small black bag that she had borrowed from Cassandra and was using as a purse this evening. "Well, I will wish all of you wonderful women a good evening."

"Thank you!" Sam said, giving the young woman a hug. "And good luck to you…even though I think that you've already smitten young Tony Dovolani."

She blushed. "Thanks."

--

She hurried out to her car and looked at her watch: 5:59. She cursed as she hit 'send' on the phone twice, reprising the last number that she had called from her phone: Tony Dovolani.

"Hello?"

"Tony?"

"Yes…"

"It's me, Ria."

"Ria! I'm just pulling up to your house."

"Well…I'm not there," she admitted, as she started the car. "I got away late from work…"

"Oh. Are you wanting to reschedule?"

"No!"

"Okay…"

"I'll be there in about fifteen minutes, okay?"

"All right…"

"If you want to go up to my apartment, the key's under the mat…it's up the stairs in the back and to the right."

"Thank you…and drive safely."

She smiled. "Thank you. But I really should be there in just a few minutes."

"Well, I'll get off the phone so that you can concentrate on your driving."

"You really don't think I'm capable of driving and talking at the same time, do you?"

"No. I just don't know what I'd do if I knew that you had been in an accident because I'd been on the phone with you at the time." He replied, honestly.

She smiled. "I'll be there in a few."

"I'll be waiting with baited breath."

--

She pulled into her drive way, pulling her black gloves back on after turning off the car. She placed the keys into her purse, and turned to get out of the car as Tony's face was seen in the window of her car. Startled, she was forced to wait for him to open her door. "Hej." He said, with a smile.

"Hej." She repeated, still somewhat taken aback.

He stared at her as she stood. "You…you look…"

"That bad, huh?" She chuckled.

"Bad?" He asked, surprised. "No…you look…you look amazing!"

"Thank you." She said, blushing as he closed the door to her car. "You look very nice yourself."

He looked down at his tan slacks, red cashmere sweater, and dark brown leather jacket. "Thank you…"

"Well, should we get going?"

"Probably." Tony said with a smile. "But be careful…there's a little bit of black ice from the freezing ice earlier."

She sighed. "And I'm wearing the wrong shoes."

Tony regarded her for a moment. "Do you trust me?"

"Do I what?"

"Do you trust me?"

"Of course."

"Okay."

Still standing on the snow-covered grass beside her car, he picked her up and carried her to the rental car. "Now, when we get back, let me put some salt on that…"

"Suddenly all domestic?" She asked, still surprised at how concerned he was about her well-being.

"Well…couldn't have a pretty girl fall and break her neck. That would a crime against humanity."

She looked down as she chuckled and noticed some odd-looking shoes on his feet. "Tony, what are you wearing?"

"Soccer cleats." He admitted.

"Soccer cleats?" She asked, amused.

"I keep a pair in the car during the winter so that I at least have one pair of shoes that I can count on the traction…"

She nodded. "You've got a point there."

"I usually do." He teased.

She laughed. "You're impossible."

"I'm anything but impossible."

"Impossible to understand at times…" She teased.

"That may very well be true…"

"Anyway…please tell me that you have dance shoes…"

"I do." He grinned as he closed her door and walked over to his own, opening it and entering the medium-sized sedan.

--

Alan took a deep breath, trying to relieve his nervousness. He stood outside Rihana's door, trying to gather the courage to knock on the door. Just then, the door opened to reveal Rihana, her dark hair pinned away from her face in a French twist, soft curls collected at the top of her head and cascading a short distance down the twist. Her make-up was very understated with natural tan, gold and brown tones on her eyes, a soft blush on her cheeks, and a clear peach lip gloss covering her lips.

She wore the outfit Janet had highlighted earlier: the red v-necked sweater and denim skirt, highlighted with brown flats, and a small necklace with a tan-colored arrowhead around her neck.

"Rihana…" He breathed, taken aback by her look.

"Alan."

"You look great…"

"Thank you. You look good too."

He smiled as he extended his arm. "So…I'm going to show you the finer parts of Colorado Springs today…"

"Nice."

"On our way to my apartment." He finished, sheepishly. "I thought we might have a picnic in the park, but the weather was against me."

"Is alright. Sound like fun." She reassured.

"I'm glad. I thought it would." He said, offering her his arm. "Shall we?"

She nodded as she accepted his arm with a smile.

--

The weatherman had lied, and the snow fall that should have ended before Tony and Ria's excursion to Denver had intensified into a blizzard. So far, it had taken nearly four hours to get halfway down to Denver, and most of that had been spent inching their way down the last ten miles or so until they could find a safe spot to park the car. Tony bit his lip in concentration as he tried to look through the blinding snow.

"Tony?"

"I'm sorry." He said, pulling into the motel on the side of the road. "I can't see anything. Maybe we can reach a phone line…or something…"

"And who would come and get us? The Australian?"

Tony laughed, somewhat unwillingly. "Well, the least we can do is stay safe and dry. I'll see if I can get us a couple of rooms nearby." He said, getting out of the car.

"Okay." She said, pulling her coat more tightly around her.

Tony laughed. "I'll leave the car running in case they're out of room."

"Okay." She said, with a nod.

Tony walked toward the small motel, pulling a thick coat from the backseat of the car around him more tightly to ward off the wind from the blizzard. Instantly, Ria wished she had been so wise so as to bring her heavy winter coat alongside her fashionable jacket. But the heater in the car worked well, and she was grateful for this.

She looked around to see what little she could see with the blinding blizzard only to find that nearby was a Denny's diner. Thank heavens for small blessings, she thought to herself. At least they'd still get dinner that wasn't bought from a vending machine.

Tony returned, getting into the car so that he didn't bring cold air into the warm car with him. "Let's go to the diner. There, we'll be able to eat and plan. It's not the romantic place with a dance floor I had pictured, but…"

"It'll do in a blizzard, right?" She chuckled.

"You got it."

He looked at her stiletto-clad feet and jacket-clad torso. He handed her his coat. "I'll be around to pick you up, mademoiselle…"

"Tony…"

"Ah." He interrupted. "No protests if you please."

She chuckled. "Fine."

"Thank you…"

--

While Tony and Ria froze in the winter storm, Rihana and Alan found themselves talking by the fireplace in Alan's apartment, a blanket set up much like an indoor picnic for kids. Rihana sat on her knees, allowing her legs to gracefully trail to the side, while Alan laid on his side. "So, tell me about what the scene would be like if this was your planet."

She smiled. The first REAL smile she'd given since arriving on the planet. "We sit on orange grasses, on hill overlooking village. My favorite spot on whole planet."

He smiled, watching the glow of soft firelight flicker off her face. "You look absolutely gorgeous." He whispered.

She turned, surprised. "Thank you."

He smiled. "You're welcome."

"You hear any word I say?" She asked, her brow furrowed.

"Of course! Orange grasses…your favorite spot on the whole planet."

She nodded. "Orange grasses."

"You said that already…although, I can hardly picture orange grasses."

"There fields of orange, blue, red, green…so beautiful."

"Sounds like it. A regular rainbow."

"Why you make fun of me?"

"Make fun? I…no…it sounds great!"

She looked at him, somewhat suspiciously. "Okay…"

The clock in the dining room chimed, signifying that it was ten o' clock. "Hey, it's probably time to get you back to the base."

She shrugged. "I not give time for return…"

He stood up and offered her his hand. "Even so, I think it's probably time to call it a night."

She nodded as she stood with his help. "Thank you, Alan. I had good time."

"So did I." He said, with a grin. "Can we do this again sometime?"

She nodded.

"Like…next week? Same time? Hopefully different place?"

She smiled. "Okay."

"Great! Maybe next time I'll take you to a movie."

"Never seen a movie. Heard Kinsah talk about it. Sound like fun."

"Then, it's a date."

She nodded. "A date."

He grabbed her jacket. "Okay…let's get you back to the base."

--

The waitress returned with their orders: Tony's omelet and Ria's French Toast. "Thank you." Tony said, with a smile.

"You're welcome, Mr. Dovolani."

Ria gave the waitress a smile as well. "Thank you."

"You're welcome, hon."

The woman left, and Ria could see that Tony was red. "Are you blushing?"

"I'm sorry…I didn't realize that we'd run into a fan of _Dancing with the Stars_."

"Don't apologize, Tony." She assured. "Everything's fine."

"Well, that may be all right, but not everything's fine."

"Tony?"

"There's only one room at the motel, and given the condition of the storm, I took it."

"Oh…okay…that's okay."

"It is?" Tony asked, his eyebrows high in surprise.

"Yeah…I mean, there are two beds in it, aren't there?"

"I didn't ask." Tony said, surprised that with all of his travel experience he had forgotten to ask such a question.

She laughed. "See…now, all we have to worry about is what to wear for pajamas."

"Well, I have a small overnight bag I carry in my car if I have an emergency. And, I know it sounds paranoid, but…I like to keep it even when I'm out of town. It has two sets of my pajamas…they'll probably be a little big on you, but…"

"That's fine." She smiled as she took a bite of her French Toast. "See? All taken care of."

He grinned. "Yeah."

--

After dinner, Tony handed Ria the key to the room while he hurried off to get the overnight bag. As she entered the room, she found a single double bed. "Oh boy." She said to herself. "So much for everything being okay…"

At the same time, Tony reached for the overnight bag, and opened it to make sure nothing was missing. There was only one pair of pajamas inside. "Louis!" He hissed. He had lent them to the other dancer during the last competition when his had been taken by his dance partner for ransom…sadly, that pair of pajamas had joined the first.

He sighed. Ria would take the last pair of pajamas and he would sleep in his clothes. At least there might be a bed for him to stretch out on.

He reached the room and knocked on the door.

"Uh, Tony…" Ria said as she opened the door, having already taken her stilettos off.

In the background, Tony could see the single bed, and sighed. "Great…I forgot that I only have one pair of pajamas right now…Louis borrowed one when his partner stole his pajamas…except he didn't foresee that those would be stolen as well…" He handed her the bag. "You can use the pajamas and the bed. I'll sleep on the floor."

"Are you sure?" She asked, studying him.

He grinned. "As long as you don't mind me stretching out on it before bed…"

"Deal." She said, chuckling.

Ria walked into the bathroom where she quickly changed. She had wanted to have a nice long bubble bath, but there were so many reasons why she shouldn't. First of all, she was sharing a room with a man she'd met only a few days before. Yes, they seemed to be on the accelerated track as far as relationships went, but…for some reason that seemed okay. Nevertheless, having kissed for the first time the day before wasn't license to get intimate. Not that she wanted to. She was a VERY far cry from that, and if her instincts were correct, so was he.

Second of all, she was in a motel. They weren't known for their hygiene, and as a nurse, she was leery of anything that wasn't cleaned properly. However, the place had seemed quite a bit cleaner than other motels she had stayed in before.

Third of all…there was no shower gel/bubble bath to be placed in a steaming bath, and she was in no way prepared for a shower or bath.

Pleased that she had so easily convinced herself that the bath would be a bad idea, she opened the overnight bag to find a bottle of bubble bath and a woman's thong. She bit her lip as she exited the bathroom again, still fully clothed.

"Something wrong?" Tony asked, looking over at her.

She bit her lip as she handed the bag to him. "Uh…I found some…personal items in there."

His eyebrows were furrowed together in confusion as he accepted the bag. "Huh?"

She didn't answer and he looked into the bag, only to turn fuchsia at the contents. "What 4the…"

She gave a tight smile. "Necessities in case your car breaks down…"

"No, Ria…this is probably just Louis and everybody trying to make me red…and BOY did it work…" He whipped out his cell phone and dialed Nick's cell number.

"Nick Kosovich."

"Hey, Nick. It's me, Tony."

"Tony! How'd your date go?"

"Oh, it's going to the birds…"

"You're still ON your date?"

"Oh yeah…we're currently holed up in a motel room."

Ria bit her lip as she blushed from the implications of what he was telling Nick.

"Tony, I'm sure you have an excuse, but you hurt her and I swear…"

"Nick! It's not like that! Believe me, if it was like that, I would NOT be calling!"

"Thanks for the clarification."

"The storm's really bad, so we got a room for the night…hopefully it'll clear up by tomorrow, and we can get back."

"Oh. So…what do you want me to do? Tell Janet so that Ria doesn't get penalized for showing up late for work tomorrow?"

"No, although that would be a good idea. I called because SOMEONE put bubble bath and a thong in my emergency overnight bag. I want to know who."

Nick's eyes widened. "Let me guess, Ria found it, and she's having second thoughts about whether or not you're the kind of guy she wants to date…"

"Oh yeah…"

"Uh…might have been either Cheryl or Louis, but…I don't know for sure…"

He sighed. "All right…talk to you later…"

"Look, Tony, I'm REALLY sorry your date's turning so sour. I'm sure everything'll turn out okay."

"Your lips to God's ears."

"Later."

"Bye."

Tony closed the tiny flip phone. "Sounds like the work of Cheryl or Louis." Tony said, embarrassed. "But…if you want me to go sleep in the car, I understand."

She studied him for a moment. "You'd do that?"

He nodded. "I'd freeze my butt off…but…your feeling of safety is more important to me."

She hesitated. Sending him out seemed like a good idea to get back at all of the men in her life who had either let her down or intentionally hurt her in some way. However, none of the other men would even suggest going out into the blizzard to sleep in the car while she enjoyed the warmth of the motel room, their pajamas, and the only bed in the room.

"No, you can stay."

"Are you sure?"

She nodded. "But…can I use some of your bubble bath?" She asked, sheepishly.

"Uh…yeah…I don't have any reason to use it…"

She smiled, somewhat nervously. "I'll try to make it quick, but…I'd really like to soak in the tub for a moment."

He grinned with relief. "Take your time."

--

Twenty minutes later, Ria emerged from the bathroom, dressed in the blue cotton pajamas that Tony had provided her. They were a little bit too big, but that was all right by her. She found Tony lying on the bed, watching a sitcom. "Find something you like?" She asked, cheerfully.

He turned, stunned to realize that she looked just as beautiful in his pajamas as she did in her tailored tops and skirts. "Uh…yeah…_Everybody Loves Raymond._"

She laughed as she hopped onto the bed. "That's one of my favorites."

"Really?"

"Yeah, everybody loves _Everybody Loves Raymond,_ don't they? I mean, everybody relates to Deborah and Raymond."

Tony nodded with a grin. "As much as I love Mami, she's VERY much like Marie."

She laughed. "I think we all feel that our mothers are like Marie."

He put his arm around her, and without thinking much about it, she snuggled up to him. "So…have a nice bubble bath?"

She nodded. "Thank you for sharing."

He laughed. "It wasn't supposed to be mine to begin with."

"Well, thank you anyway."

"You're welcome."

They continued to watch _Raymond_ with a few interruptions to reminisce and share more about their families before Tony heard soft snoring from the woman beside him. Somewhere in the last few minutes, she had fallen to sleep.

He chuckled as he laid her on the bed, tucking her in for the night. Then, he reached for the spare pillow and blanket, and made himself a bed on the floor. Hopefully tomorrow wouldn't be as much of a chore as today…at least he hoped that the driving wouldn't be so bad. He had to admit to himself that the company had actually been pretty amazing. When he had stressed about driving in the blinding conditions, she had been the perfect calm, asking him to do exactly what he needed to do to relax. This had made for a much more enjoyable trip than he would have taken even with Elena or Inna.

As partners, they knew intimate details of one another's lives, and this had fostered deep bonds. But personalities sometimes brought on stress. One of the ways that he handled the stress of a competition was to completely avoid Elena, whose nervous habits only fueled his own. But instead of that, Ria had kept a clear head and facilitated him remaining somewhat sane despite the dangerous weather conditions. And that had been after knowing him for only a few days.

He sighed as he closed his eyes to sleep. The puzzle pieces of their lives were starting to fall, and the more he looked at their pieces, the more he realized that they were complimentary to one another. Alike, and therefore united, in purpose, while balancing aspects of their lives that needed balancing.

He grinned. The more he thought about it, the more he realized that Ria was exactly the woman he had been looking for all of his life. The woman he thought he had found in Inna. The woman he needed to have by his side. The woman standing before him, as eager to have the healthy love that he offered as he was to give it. The woman reciprocating his giving and graciously accepting his love.

The smile on his face grew as he drifted off to sleep. Somehow, he had a feeling that he would have sweet dreams tonight.

--

Ria awoke the next morning to find unfamiliar sheets around her and an unfamiliar sight reach her eyes.

"Good morning." Tony said with a smile, still dressed in his clothes from the night before.

"Tony!" She said, almost surprised to see him. Suddenly, everything came back to her. "Oh…sorry…"

He chuckled. "Don't apologize. I've been awake a little longer than you."

"So…how's the weather outside."

"Oh, it's frightful. But, the fire is so delightful." He finished by singing the familiar song.

She laughed. "So frightful that we're stuck here for another day?"

"I don't think so. It stopped snowing sometime after we went to bed. Snow plows have already been through…we should have a clear shot home."

"Oh." She said, surprisingly disappointed by that news.

"Something wrong?"

"No."

"Okay. I'll be ready to grab some breakfast when you are."

"Oh, it won't take long." She said, quickly hopping out of bed.

"Well, take your time. I'm in no hurry."

She blushed at her haste. "Right…"

He smiled. "How long do you think you'll be?"

"Five minutes or so…"

"Well…if we want to have Denny's for breakfast like we had for dinner last night, I don't need to warm up the car…but if we want to stop by somewhere else…"

"Denny's is fine. Unless you want to do something else…"

"Denny's works for me…"

"Great." She smiled as she grabbed her clothes and headed to the bathroom. "I'll be out in a sec."

--

Breakfast was a stunning reprise of their shared evening meal, though the waitress was not the same as the one they'd had the night before, which Tony was VERY grateful for, not having to suffer through an impromptu question and answer session.

Within an hour, they were back on the road. "So…that was a first date to remember…"

"Stranded in a hotel room." She laughed. "Definitely."

"Hey, maybe if we're lucky we'll get to tell our kids about this twenty years down the road." Tony laughed.

Ria stiffened a little. "Probably." She acknowledged.

"Something wrong?"

"We've only been on one date, Tony."

"If that." Tony agreed.

"And yet, we're talking about kids?"

Tony choked on his coffee. "No, that's…that's not what I meant…"

"Good…I just…I just wanted to clear that up." Ria said, looking forward again.

Tony sighed. "I'm sorry…I should never have suggested that we go to Denver."

"Tony, it's not your fault that the weather was less than cooperative."

"Ria…I can't get you out of my head…I feel like I know you."

"You do know me." She countered.

"No…I feel like I've known you all of my life. You helped me last night more than anyone else I know would be able to, besides maybe my sisters or Mami."

"Tony…"

"Ria…tell me it's not the same for you."

She clenched her teeth as she realized that she couldn't do it. "I can't." She finally admitted after a long silence.

"I didn't think you could."

"Tony, what do you expect me to say…that just because I think there's something special here that I should fly into a serious relationship that I'm not sure I'm ready for?"

"Ria…I'm not asking you to do anything except give me a chance."

"And I already said I would."

"Part of that is setting your fears aside."

"Sorry…"

"Ria…"

"Maybe I should call a cab." Ria said, as they sat in traffic on the interstate.

"Ria!"

"Tony, I…"

"Ria, it's scary. And it's going to get scarier."

"You're making me feel so much better about this." She said, wryly.

"But…"

"But?"

"But you're worth it." He said, honestly.

She paused, his words not sinking in just yet. "Worth what?"

"You're worth my heart…you're worth being loved. You're worth the experience of loving someone else…"

A warmth spread over her that she hadn't experienced in a long time. "I…"

"Even if I'm not the one that you want or need to love, I think I'm here to help you get over some of your fears…and I think you're here to teach me the same."

Then, he turned around and concentrated on his driving for the rest of the ride home, while she mulled over what he'd said. It made sense, though she was somewhat scared and surprised to realize she'd just agreed with him.

"Thanks, Tony." She finally said, gratefully as they pulled up to her house.

"You're welcome. Call me if you want to talk."

"Tony, that's not what I was thanking you for…the ride was great…though somewhat awkward…"

He sighed. "Okay."

"Thanks for reminding me that I'm worth something."

He looked into her hazel eyes. "You're worth more than something. You're worth everything."

She smiled, tears welling up in her eyes. "Thanks. I needed that."

He quietly leaned over and wiped away her tears. "I know this is a tough time for you. You're learning to trust me, you're getting to know me, and you're afraid of getting hurt again. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I'm here…if I need to be your friend…I'm here. If you want me to be more than…"

"I do."

"Are you sure?"

She nodded. "I have my doubts, but they're not about you…they're about me. And every time I blame you for them, you find the source of the problem and deal with that. I need someone like you in my life."

He gave her a tiny smile before he caressed her cheek. "Okie dokie."

She chuckled. "I should really be going…"

"I know." He said, somewhat sorrowfully.

"Despite the bumps in the road, I really did have a great time…"

"So did I." He returned.

She quickly kissed his cheek before moving to get out of the car. He pulled her back by the wrist, kissing her mouth gently and yet with an intense passion.

"See you later." He said as he pulled away from her.

"If you kiss me like that, of course you will…" She whispered, staring into his eyes, breathlessly.

He chuckled. "I should keep that in mind…"

"You might be the death of me if you do."

"That would be very unfortunate." He chuckled.

"And yet you wouldn't be one bit sorry."

"Yes, I would…if you were dead, I wouldn't be able to be the death of you anymore."

She rolled her eyes, good-naturedly. "I'll see you around."


	18. Preparing For a Social Dance

Two blissful weeks later, Tony walked up to the receptionist's desk at the hospital, flowers in hand. "Excuse me?" He asked, politely. 

"May I help you?"

"May I speak to Ria Sangford, please?"

"Ria? Sure. I think she's just gotten…"

"TONY!"

He smiled as he turned, making her weak at the knees for a moment. "Ria!"

She placed the files that she'd been carrying onto the desk. "Tracy, if you could tell Dr. Sawyer that Mrs. Kingsley is waiting in Room 419, I'd appreciate it."

"Of course."

"Thank you." She walked closer to Tony, giving him a quick kiss. "Hello, Handsome."

"I should pick you up from work more often!" Tony teased. He handed her the flowers. "These are for you."

"Thank you." She said, obviously touched. "Something special happening?"

"Just escorting the most beautiful woman in the world to her car."

"Then you're in for quite a walk…my car's downtown in the shop."

"As long as you're on my arm, I'd walk to the ends of the Earth."

She grinned. "You're in rare form today, Tony…what happened?"

"Nothing." He chuckled. "Why do I have to have a reason for being in a good mood?"

"Ria's dating Tony Dovolani?" One of the nurses exclaimed rather loudly as they passed a group of Ria's colleagues on their way out to his car.

"Yes, she is…lucky girl! Did you see just how HOT he looked in_ People_?"

Ria looked at Tony, confused, and was rewarded with a shrug. They almost made it to the car before another of her colleagues stopped them. "Mr. Dovolani?" She asked. "May I please have your autograph?"

In her hands, she held a pen and an open issue of _People_ magazine. Ria noted that it was the "Sexiest Man Alive" edition and determined to ask Tony about it later. Meanwhile, Tony nodded, quickly taking the woman's pen. "What's your name?"

"Actually, it's for my roommate. She watches "Dancing With the Stars" religiously and was VERY disappointed when you and Stacy were voted off."

"All right, what is her name?"

"Stacy." She said, with a chuckle. "She said that she wanted to just cut out Stacy's last name in all of the articles so that people at work would think that SHE was dancing with you."

Tony smiled, appreciatively. "Ah." He signed the page with a flourish. "Well, thanks for watching!"

"You're very welcome!"

"Unfortunately, we really must be going." He said, putting his hand at the small of Ria's back once again, and leading her toward the car. He opened the door for her, and as she stepped into the car, she couldn't help but snicker. "Sexiest Man Alive, huh?"

"Nope. That's Nick." Tony smirked.

He closed the door on her astounded look before hurrying to his seat behind the wheel.

"Are you serious?!?"

He laughed. "Yes."

"Nick? I'm gonna have to see this…"

He chuckled. "Well, Lena's going to freak when SHE sees it."

"She doesn't know about it?"

He laughed again. "Nope."

"Oh boy…I'm gonna have to get one of these issues…"

Tony blushed a little as he started the car. "So…got a little thing for the Sexiest Man Alive?"

"If you mean you? Yes." Ria said, with a chuckle.

"Who said I was the sexiest man alive? I'm just in the magazine."

"I saw your ranking…it was behind your picture...Runner up?"

He blushed. "I'll get you a magazine if you'll just stop talking about it…"

She laughed. "Oh, poor Tony! A little embarrassed?"

"Wouldn't you be if you were a nice little boy from Kosovo who somehow achieved some level of fame?"

"Well, I wouldn't be dating you if I was a nice little boy from Kosovo." She said, cheekily.

"Ria!"

"What? If I was a nice little GIRL from Kosovo, that would be a different story!"

"I should hope so!"

"But I'm not a nice little girl from Kosovo…I'm a corrupted girl who was born in California, and raised in Kansas City, Missouri."

He chuckled. "And you're STILL dating me! It must be my lucky day!"

She laughed. "Now…really, what's the whole reason that you wanted to pick me up from work?"

"Can't a guy come and pick his girlfriend up from work without getting the third degree?"

"Of course."

"Thank you."

"But…that doesn't mean that I can't tell that you have an ulterior motive."

He sighed. "Okay…the competition that I'm going to be demonstrating at in a couple of weeks, also has a social dance."

"Social dance?"

"Yes. I would like to ask if you allow me the honor of having your heavenly presence at my side that evening."

"I would love to." She said, surprised.

"What?"

"I just…wouldn't you rather dance with your partner?"

"I will…but only for our demonstration. I would rather dance with you at the social dance."

"Okay." She said, with a smile.

"Excellent. Now…you're probably going to want to call Nick and Lena and see if they can help you with your gown."

"Gown?"

"Well…most of the people on the floor will be ballroom dancers, so…you may want to have a costume…"

She bit her lip. "Okay…"

"Nick and Lena will make a fabulous costume that will make you look even more gorgeous than you do now." He said, pulling up at her house. "If that's possible…"

She blushed. "Okay…you don't have to flatter me into going with you…I already said I'd go…"

He kissed her nose. "All right…I should go home, then. But Nick and Lena are going to want to hear from you ASAP."

"Okay."

"And this will include a fitting and a consultation…I would plan on a couple of hours at least."

She smiled. "I've really got to get back inside…"

"Something about your car?"

She nodded. "It's supposed to be done soon…"

"Need a lift?"

"Actually, no. The mechanic is a friend of a friend and offered to drop the car off…"

"Okay…well…I'll see you later."

"See you later." She said, chuckling inwardly as she remembered that he hated good-byes and much preferred 'see you laters.'

"What?"

"I said 'see you later…'"

"Yep…you did…" He said, softly.

"Well…gotta go."

"Then get going!" He teased, gently.

"Kicking me out, Mr. Dovolani? What would _People_ have to say about that?"

He laughed. "Call me later?"

"Maybe." She said, kissing him again before she got out of the car.

"Love ya!" She said, stooping to the level of the window as she walked back toward her house.

"Love you too!" He said, affectionately.

**--**

Tony walked into the room, grinning widely.

"Okay, Tony, what happened?"

"What?" Tony asked, almost in mock indignation that "something" had to have happened for him to be in a good mood. "Can't a guy just be in a good mood?"

"Well, you just visited Ria at the hospital…something tells me that you two have a DATE."

"We've had them before…What on Earth would have given you the thought that this was a NEW phase in our relationship?" Tony asked, placing his hands in his pockets as he walked away, whistling "Shall We Dance."

"You asked her to the social dance at the competition, didn't you?" Nick demanded with a knowing tone in his voice.

"That's for me to know and for you to lie awake and wonder about." Tony smirked.

The phone rang just then, and Lena picked it up. "O'Neill residence."

Nick and Tony had a tiny stare-off while Lena listened to the person on the line introduce herself. "Oh, hi, Ria!"

Tony paled and Nick gave him a triumphant grin. It REALLY paid to have a woman on your side…

"Sure, we'll have to meet sometime soon. We'd like to talk to you about what you'd like to have it look like, and measure you…all of those fun things…" Lena said, a half-chuckle in her voice.

Nick raised his eyebrows as he looked first at his wife and then at Tony. "We're making her a costume for this gig?"

"Come on, Nick…everyone else on the floor will be a ballroom dancer…" Tony reminded him.

"Yes…"

"Look, it's going to be a waltz…I have two weeks to teach her a basic waltz, and maybe some turns and counter turns…the point is that this is an evening that I want her to feel like a princess."

Nick raised an eyebrow. "A princess?" He looked at his wife who was still chatting away on the phone. "We can do princess…"

"Yes, I know…you have enough Swarovski crystals to make the crown jewels look like a mere child's collection…"

Nick groaned. "Don't remind me…"

"And half of that is Lena's collection ALONE!" Tony laughed.

"I told you not to remind me." Nick said, looking at his friend with a pointed look.

There was a pause as Nick continued to think about this costume…he was starting to get excited about it as he considered the different shades that he could put against Ria's fair complexion and dramatic coloring. He pursed his lips in concentration, and was considering getting a pencil, but Tony's voice stopped him.

"What're your ideas?"

"Who said I had any?" Nick asked, calmly.

"You have that gleam in your eye…trust me, I know you have ideas…"

"Well, be that as it may, YOU, my dear sir, will not be seeing her gown until you pick her up for the dance." Nick finished with a flair of his hand.

"But Nick…"

"No buts…who sews your pants when you split the seam?"

Tony grumbled as Nick walked into the kitchen.

As he passed his wife to get a pad of paper and a pencil, his ear picked up part of her conversation: "Yes, he'll never admit it, but I think Tony's right…he's been missing the sequins and rhinestones…"

Nick's eyes widened and he looked at Tony who raced away in fear. "DRITON ANTONIUS DOVOLANI! YOU'RE DEAD!"

Lena chuckled as her husband raced after the other dancer. "I should warn you, Ria, he broke out the full name…he doesn't even do that to our boys when he's angry…"

--

"You told her that I LIKE sewing the bloody things on?!" Nick fumed as he finally caught up with Tony.

"No…I told her that you missed it…"

"Which implies that I had to like doing it in the first place."

"Well…there's always that." He said, a faltering grin on his face.

"You, my friend, are going to learn how to sew sequins so that YOU can sew them onto your girlfriend's dress…"

"Nick…"

Just then, Grace flew by in her little ballroom dance costume from the past Halloween. "Look, Uncle Tony!" She said, twirling for his inspection. "I'm Aunt Lena!"

Tony grinned and looked back at Nick, realizing that the little girl had just inadvertently proven his point. "Yes, you are…your dress is so VERY beautiful!"'

"Thank you." She said, with a curtsy. She tried to make it a low curtsy, but she almost fell over instead. Tony quickly helped her up.

"There ya go…why don't you go play inside…grass stains are a pain to get out of ballroom gowns."

Grace nodded, solemnly, as if she understood exactly what Tony was saying. She quickly ran inside and Tony turned to Nick, having clearly seen the sequins on the dress.

"So…you don't miss them at ALL?"

"Tony, she was a ballroom dancer for Halloween…what're ballroom costumes without sequins or rhinestones?"

Suddenly, Danny ran past, wearing a miniature Latin shirt, sequins lining the extended V-neck of the shirt. "Dad, have you seen Grace?"

"She went inside." He said, his face turning red with embarrassment.

"Thank you."

As Danny ran off to join Grace inside, Tony looked at Nick, an amused smile on his face.

"WHAT? Danny wanted to be you for Halloween, and Grace wanted to be Lena…hence sequins and Swarovskis…"

"That's what they all say." Tony smirked.

"That's it, Tony…you asked for it…I'm not sewing your pants if you split them…"

Tony's eyes widened. "No, Nick…please…"

Nick shook his head. "I warned you…"

"No, Nick, I take it all back!"

"Too late…" Nick said, smugly as he walked back into the house. Tony was running after him, practically begging to get back in his good graces.

Nick reached his sewing kit and handed Tony his pants and a needle and thread. "Good luck."

Tony heaved a sigh as he walked out into the front yard where Lena now stood, watching Michael and Nicky playing in the leaves that Jack, Daniel and Teal'c had gathered together. Suddenly, an idea came to his mind. "Lena…"

She saw the thread and the pants and shook her head. "Nope."

"Lena, how do you know what I'm gonna ask you?"

"Lucky guess." She said, dryly.

"Come on, Lena, you've gotta help me!" He practically begged. "You know I can't sew!"

"Then, you shouldn't have burned your bridge…" She said, calmly. "You should really remember that a 'lack of planning on your part, does not constitute an emergency on MY part.'"

Tony looked at the ground, muttering some choice sayings in Albanian.

Lena started to follow the kids around to the backyard. "Have fun!"

--

Ria pulled up to the house about a half an hour later. There on the front stoop, with black material in hand, was Tony. She chuckled as she watched him try to sew his pants…he obviously wasn't gifted with a needle.

"Something wrong?" She asked, as she approached him.

He looked up. "Oh…Ria!" He said, trying to hide the fabric. "What're you doing here?"

"I'm here to meet with Nick and Lena about my dress…"

"Ah."

"What happened to your pants?"

"Oh…nothing…"

"Tony."

"I, uh…" He showed her the rip, inadvertently showing her the several prick marks he'd left on his fingers as well. "I ripped my pants during rehearsal this week…"

Ria looked at him. "Doesn't Nick design your costumes?"

"Yeah…"

"So, why won't he help you fix them?"

"Because I royally stuck my foot in my mouth…"

She chuckled. "Okay…where's your needle and your thread?"

"Ria…you don't…"

"I'm a nurse, Tony…now, get your fingers bandaged, and I'll have these finished in no time…"

"Are you sure?"

"Positive…now go!"

He gave her a mock salute. "Yes, ma'am."

Tony walked into the house and to the kitchen sink where he quickly washed his hands, wincing a little as the soap stung the tiny punctures in his skin.

By the time he was drying his hands, Ria appeared next to him, his pants cleanly stitched in her hands. "Done."

He turned, surprised. "Are you serious?"

She smiled. "I'm one of the fastest stitchers in ER."

"Wow…I bet…"

"They give me all the kids that are going to squirm…" She chuckled. "It makes for an interesting experience."

"Sounds like." Tony said, taking his pants from out of her hands and inspecting the seam. "Thank you."

"You're welcome…but if you don't mind, I have an appointment that I'm now late for…"

"Right…my best friend is stealing you away for some dark and sinister purpose…" He teased.

"Actually, it's his wife." She said, playing along.

"But he had a gleam in his eye…" Tony warned, leaning into her and kissing her nose.

She chuckled. "Then I'll just have to watch out, won't I?"

He looked into her eyes with mock solemnity. "Or I could come…to make sure you're safe…"

"And ruin the surprise?" She asked with a raised eyebrow. "Lena already warned me that you'd try to weasel your way into my fitting…and I agree with her…you get to see the gown for the first time when you come to pick me up that evening." She said, leaning into him as though she was going to kiss him before pulling away and walking toward the living room where Lena sat, clipboard and pen in hand.

"Ha!" Nick laughed. "She SO got you!"

"Yeah…well, at least my pants aren't split anymore!" Tony said, showing the perfectly repaired pants.

Nick took the pants and inspected them. "You know, the point was to get YOU to sew your pants…"

Tony gave his friend a look of mock hurt. "And what makes you so suspicious that I didn't sew them?"

"Tony…I know you…you couldn't sew if your life depended on it." Nick said, an eyebrow raised.

"Okay…maybe you have a point there…"

"I KNOW I have a point there…"

"Okay, okay…you don't have to rub it in…" Tony said, crossly.

"So…who caved?"

"Ria."

"Ah…" Nick said, a suspicious gleam in his eye.

"Don't." Tony warned.

"What?" Nick asked, an innocent look on his face.

Tony took a deep breath. "Fine…say it…"

"Say what?" Nick asked, seemingly genuinely surprised at his friend's skepticism.

"Whatever is on the tip of your tongue that is undoubtedly going to embarrass me…"

"Like the fact that your pants belong in her hands?" Nick asked, innocently.

Tony closed his eyes and shook his head in exasperation. "Oh boy…"

"What?"

"Nothing…"

"No, really, Driton, I think it's great! It was about time that you found a nice girl who could sew your pants when you rip them…" Nick said, facetiously as they walked into the living room.

"That's it…no more family dinners for you!" Tony said, shaking his head in mock anger as he grabbed his pants out of Nick's hands and walked away.

"So…I'm just the girl who sews your pants when you rip them…" Lena said a hint of indifference in her casual tone as she nonchalantly continued taking Ria's measurements.

"No, darling, you're MUCH more than that…" Nick said, cautiously. "You're…" Just then, he shook his head, indignantly. "I fix MY OWN pants!"

"Oh, that's right, I'm the girl who cooks and cleans for you while barefoot and pregnant?" She asked with a raised eyebrow.

"No." Nick said, realizing that his feminist wife could be out for blood. Nick looked at Lena and Ria, then said with a half smile, "We men are lucky that jewels such as yourselves put up with us and our less than pleasant ways..."

Lena looked up, her expression unreadable for a moment, and Nick was afraid that she would come back with another quick one, and that he would have to do more quick-thinking to get himself out of trouble. A slow smile spread over her face as she stood up, motioning for Ria to follow, and walked past him. "You're SO lucky that you're so charming."

"I never said I wasn't." He said, breathing a tentative sigh of relief.

Ria stifled a chuckle as she passed Nick as well.

--

As Tony walked away, his cell phone rang, and he opened the small phone. "Hello?"

"Tony, it's Elena. Where are you?"

"Where am I?" The dancer asked, worriedly. "Did we have a rehearsal that I forgot about?"

"No." She said, reassuringly. "But I haven't seen you for a few weeks, and we do have the competition…"

"Right…" Tony said, relief spreading throughout his panicked limbs. "Elena, I'm visiting Nick in Colorado Springs."

"Oh…" She said, surprised.

"So…what'd you need?"

"Well, I was doing some research in case you just wanted to meet in Denver and rehearse."

"What kind of research?"

"I found us a place to rehearse. It's actually right in Colorado Springs."

"That's perfect!"

"So, I should be there tomorrow, and I'll be ready to rehearse the day after. Usual time?"

"Elena, we'll figure all that out when you get here." Tony said, smiling. "What time should I be at the airport?"

"I'll get a cab, Tony…don't worry about it…" She said, a strain in her voice. "I'll see you at eleven a.m. on Wednesday, okay?"

"Elena, are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Tony."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah…I'll see you then." She said before hanging up the phone.

He hung up the phone, somewhat bewildered as Lena walked past, swatches of fabric in her hands. "Who was that, if you don't mind me asking…"

"Elena." Tony said, still somewhat dazed.

"Something wrong?" She asked, noticing the confusion on his face.

"I'm not exactly sure…"

"Wanna talk about it?"

Tony bit his lip as he hesitated. Lena watched his facial expressions with a knowing eye. "Problems with the line between being dance partners and more than dance partners?"

He sighed. "She started to fall for me, but I…I didn't feel the same way she did…"

Lena nodded. "But you don't want to ruin your partnership…"

"No, I don't. I may not have romantic feelings for her, but…"

"She's still a special person to you, and you don't want to hurt her."

"Yeah."

"So, what happened on the phone?"

"I think she's pushing me away. She wouldn't let me pick her up at the airport…it's like she doesn't want to see me unless we're rehearsing…"

Lena chewed on this for a few moments. "You know, I might have a solution…"

"Okay…"

"Has she mentioned Artem Chezinski?"

Tony chuckled. "Yes. She shoved him into the pool when she was twelve."

"He's in Colorado Springs."

"He is? How…how'd you learn that?"

"Nick and I ran into him at the grocery store of all places…" Lena chuckled.

"Okay…but what does that have to do with Elena? Other than the whole "pool" thing…"

"He was asking about her."

Tony raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

"Yep. Apparently, he's found her quite intriguing…"

Tony took a deep breath. "Okay…so, what do I do?"

"Nothing." She said, with a twinkle in her eye.

"Lena…"

"My husband isn't the only licensed matchmaker in the family…" Lena said, slyly. "When're you rehearsing?"

"Eleven a.m.…day after tomorrow…"

"Perfect. Nice non-threatening lunch date to reminisce about old times…"

"Lena, I doubt Elena will want to relive THAT past!"

"Of course, she will." Lena said, matter-of-factly. "He's cute."

"LENA!"

"Tony, cuteness is a HUGE factor in a potential date…"

"Thanks, Lena…I didn't need to know that!"

"How'd you scar Tony?" Nick asked with a smirk as he walked into the kitchen.

"She didn't scar me, Nick!" He defended.

"Uh huh…" Nick said, clearly not believing the Albanian.

"I didn't, you know…" Lena admitted. "I was just telling him that cuteness is a HUGE factor in potential dates…"

"So, why didn't you need to know that, Tony?" Nick asked, puzzled.

"Because we were talking about ELENA! She's my partner…she's like a sister to me!"

"Ah."

"So…you understand how WRONG that would be for Lena to say something like that, right?"

"Nope." Nick smirked.

Tony groaned. "Must you torture me?"

"Yep."

Tony gave another groan as he walked out into the yard, and Nick wrapped his arms around his wife's waist. "So…if cuteness is needed for a potential date, what is needed for an already accepted suitor?"

Lena smirked. "I forget…"

Nick pulled away in surprise. "What?"

She grinned in triumph. "You'll just have to suffer from your incurable curiosity…"

Nick groaned as she walked away, smugly. "LENA!"


	19. More matchmaking

Nick walked into the kitchen and saw Lena holding an issue of "People" magazine. He winced and turned smoothly on his heel, attempting to walk away. 

"Nicholas...would you like to explain this?" She asked, her tone sugary.

He turned back to her. "Explain what, darling?" He replied in kind.

"Oh, I think you KNOW what I'm talking about." She said, placing the magazine on the counter, face down.

"Ohhh...that."

"Yes, darling...THAT."

"What about it? It's just a dumb magazine!"

She raised an eyebrow, her arms folded. "Uh huh...if it's just a dumb magazine...why wasn't I informed of this until now?"

"Because it's not that big of a deal!" He protested, getting himself a drink of water.

"Big deal or not...I would like to think that I would be the first woman to know that my husband is the Sexiest Man Alive."

He rolled his eyes.

"Nick..."

"What?" He grumbled.

"Why didn't you just tell me? I knew that you'd gone to a photo shoot, but you told me that it was something Louis was doing for his studio promotion..."

"Which was true, in part...Louis did use some of the photos, but so did People..."

Lena shook her head, a tiny smile growing. Why was it so hard for her to stay mad at her husband?

"Do you realize I got this from Sam?" She asked, looking at her husband, finally releasing her amused smile.

"What?" He asked.

"Oh yes..."

He shivered slightly.

"Come on...you knew that was a possibility, right?"

"Believe me, I try NOT to think about these things!"

She laughed. "Well...I thought the pictures were excellent!"

He reddened slightly.

"What?"

"Nothing...I thought the pictures were okay, but nothing to write home about..."

"I'm your wife...you should write home about these kinds of pictures...trust me..."

"If you say so." He shrugged.

"I see..."

Nick gave her a confused look.

"I see that you're shy..."

"I am NOT shy!"

"Nick..." She laughed.

He folded his arms across his chest and leaned up against the doorway. "What?" He asked.

"Nothing."

Sighing, he threw his hands up.

"What's the problem?"

"Except for the fact that I don't understand women, nothing..."

She laughed, "Okay...so maybe I'm not making any sense...much like when we were

dating..."

"But you're hot!" She finished as he opened his mouth to say something.

He stared at her for a moment.

"What?" She asked, not being able to remember a time when he had looked at her like that.

He shook his head, smiling as he walked out of the room.

She shook her head, chuckling as she turned back to fixing lunch.

--

Meanwhile, Tony waited in the studio for Elena. The minutes ticked by slowly, and finally, at ten until eleven, she arrived. At the sight of her, he lightly hopped over to give her a hug. "Elena!"

"Hi, Tony." She said, with a sigh.

"Something wrong?" He asked, as he noticed her business-like attitude.

"No." She said, forcing a smile to her face.

"Okay…" He said, realizing that she didn't want to talk about whatever was bothering her…whether it was him or not.

"You're chipper today." She said, noticing his upbeat attitude.

"What?" He asked, genuinely surprised.

"You're in a particularly good mood. What's going on?"

"Nothing that I know of…" He said, puzzled.

"Really?"

He debated about whether or not to tell her about Ria, but decided against it.

"Tony, you're trying to keep something from me…I can tell…"

"I'm not trying to keep anything from you, Elena!" He said, genuinely.

"What's her name?" She asked after a brief silence.

"Now why…"

"I have a sixth sense about these things…"

"Maria Sangford, but everyone calls her Ria."

She nodded, biting down her feelings. "Good for you."

"Elena…"

"Tony, you have a girlfriend. And I'm happy for you." She said, forcing a smile, though the lump that welled up in her throat was hard to disguise.

Tony went to put his arms around her. "Elena…"

"Don't." She said, mournfully.

He sighed. "I'm sorry."

She shook her head as she turned from him to hide her unbidden tears. "No…don't be…"

"You're someone that's very important to me, and I don't want you to be miserable…even if the circumstances that make me happy are the very circumstances contributing to your misery."

She managed to pull herself back together. This wasn't a time to get emotional. "Well…you're happy. And that's all that matters. Now, let's rehearse."

Tony wanted to put his arms around and make her feel better, but something told him that action would have the opposite effect. "Well…actually, Lena ran into an old friend of yours. She thought you might want to see each other, and this was the only time that he had open. He's starting a new studio here, and thought that you and he might have lunch sometime…"

"Tony…I'm okay…you can date who you want, but…don't try to make yourself feel better by setting me up with…"

"Elena?" A baritone voice called, heavy with a Russian accent.

She turned, surprised. "Artem?"

"Elena, I had not heard from you in long time. Thought you forget me…"

"How could I forget you? I…I threw you into the pool." She laughed.

Tony slipped away, allowing the two to speak and reminisce. "You gonna be okay?"

She nodded, motioning for him to go. "It's my old friend, Artem! We'll be fine. Now, you go and say hello to your gorgeous girlfriend…"

"My gorgeous girlfriend, huh?"

"Had to be to steal you away!"

As Tony allowed the studio door to close, Artem looked at Elena apologetically. "I sorry…English not so good…was deported after summer we lived next door."

"No, you're fine." She said, reverting to her mother tongue. "We have an advantage."

He sighed in relief. "Thank you…this is much more comfortable for me…"

"I figured it would be." She laughed as she took his arm. "Now, where are we going?"

"There is a little bistro around the corner. I have been wanting to go to it for a while…do you want to join me?"

"I would love to."

--

Tony got onto his cell phone. "Hook line and sinker." He said, with a chuckle as Lena answered the phone.

"I thought so…Elena's always saying how she wants to talk to him again, and…when Nick and I ran into him, I thought of her immediately!"

"Now, I'm going to call my girlfriend and ask her to join me for lunch."

"She's at the base…I don't think she'll be available…" Lena said, regretfully.

"Dang it! Maybe the kids wanna come with me?"

"I'm sure a handful or two of them would…"

"How about just one or two…I'll catch the others later…"

"Tommy and Nicky are feeling somewhat neglected." Lena said, honestly.

"Then, Tommy and Nicky and I are going to lunch!"

She laughed. "Okay."

"I'll be there to pick them up in a few minutes."

--

Ria walked up to the surface, her coat snugly wrapped around herself as her cell phone rang. "Hello?"

"Ria, it's me, Tony."

"Tony!" She greeted, enthusiastically.

"How was work?"

"Exhausting." She admitted with a tiny chuckle.

"And just what would you do in Cheyenne Mountain that could make the nursing staff exhausted?"

"You'd be surprised."

"In other words, it's classified."

"Sorry."

"No, it's okay…I guess you don't want to come and practice the waltz, then, do you?"

"Why wouldn't I?"

"You've just gotten off a long day, haven't you?"

"Yes, but after I go home and rest for an hour or so, I'd love to be able to spend some time with my boyfriend."

He chuckled. "Great. Call me, and I'll come pick you up."

"Or we could practice in my living room."

"We could do that…but I have a studio space that Elena and I are renting. I thought we'd use that."

"Okay. What should I wear?"

"Comfortable shoes and a skirt, preferably one that flows a little bit for the turns and counter turns."

"Okay, that just went right over my head." She laughed.

She could hear his smile over the phone. "Sorry…it's the technical lingo."

"No, don't apologize. It's cool…"

"Oh, yeah…really cool!"

She laughed. "Well, coolness aside, if you want, you can come by at seven. I should have dinner ready. You and I can eat then or after rehearsal."

"Sounds good."

"Great."

"I guess I'll see you later tonight."

"Yes. I'll see you later tonight."


	20. Dance Lessons

Tony stretched in front of the mirror. The social dance was only a week out and he'd promised Ria he would practice with her. 

Suddenly, he heard the flurry of footsteps up the steps to the studio. The door opened to reveal a breathless Ria. "Sorry...I was running a little late..."

"It's ok." He said with a grin.

"Thanks." She said, feeling that weak-kneed feeling she'd started becoming accustomed to when he gave her a full-strength grin.

"You ready to dance?"

She laughed before nodding. "Yeah...I think so."

"Okay. First thing to do is the hold."

"In other words, you just want me in your arms..." She teased.

"Of course!" Tony replied, his eyes twinkling merrily at her.

She giggled as he pulled her into the correct ballroom hold.

"Hand on my muscle, my hand on your shoulder."

"I know." She chuckled. "We've already had this conversation. You just want me to think you have big muscles..."

He raised an eyebrow and rolled up one sleeve of his shirt to reveal his extremely well built arms. "I DO have muscles!" He protested.

"I'm impressed." She said, a teasing grin still firmly in place.

"As you should be." He sniffed loftily.

She couldn't help but allow a tiny giggle to burst forth.

"What?!? You DARE to mock me?" Tony said, gasping.

She tried to bite back a laugh, but it was to no avail, and it came out more like a guffaw.

"I can't believe the things I put up with." He sighed theatrically.

She looked at him, her eyes twinkling. "Well, I, for one, know why you put up with them..."

Just then, she placed her arms around his neck and kissed him soundly.

"Because I get paid?"

She playfully slugged him in the arm.

"Owww!" He howled. "I felt that all the way in my tibia!"

"You did not, you big baby!" She said, laughing.

"Did you just call me a baby?" Tony asked, his voice suddenly husky as he rumba walked up to her.

She instantly sobered as she tried to catch her breath. WHOA! That man could walk...

Circling her slowly, he smirked.

"Oh you are VERY much a man." She said, as he placed his arms around her and pulled her into a close hold.

"Waltz with me, then." He said, moving his feet slowly in the 1-2-3 pattern so she could get used to his leading.

She followed perfectly, having learned the basic steps before, but was gracefully surprised by the turns he began adding.

"As long as you keep the pattern in your mind, you can fudge a lot ot things if you goof up." Tony told her, smiling.

She laughed before tripping over his feet and falling down.

"I'm sorry!' She said, quickly getting up.

"Hey, it's okay." He said, trying to make sure she was all right. "Even the best fall down sometimes..." He quoted softly.

She flushed. "I still feel kinda silly though..."

"Hey, trust me...it happens ALL the time." He said, taking her hand. "We just have to start again."

She smiled. "Okay. Let's start again, then."

"And 1-2-3, 1-2-3." He said, gently tapping the rhythm on her shoulder with a couple of fingers.

After a few rotations around the room, she was able to stop looking at her feet and start looking up.

"There you go." He said, sounding pleased.

She blushed, somewhat embarrassed by the praise.

"What?" He asked.

"I had a good teacher, that's all."

It was Tony's turn to have a red face.

She laughed. "You don't need to blush, Tony..."

He shrugged.

Suddenly, her cell phone alarm went off. "Oh my gosh! I forgot!"

"Forgot what?"

"My landlord was going to have someone come and look at the leaky ceiling in my apartment. The appointment was for right now..."

"Uh oh..."

"Yeah." She groaned. "I guess I have to go...but...I...we still need to finish rehearsing...we could do that at my place..."

"Sure!" He agreed.

She grinned before reaching for her jacket and changing her shoes. "Okay."

"Race you!"

She laughed as she sped to finish readying herself and hurrying out the door before Tony who was only a second or two behind her.

"Wait for me!"

"Okay..." She said, grinning as she turned to find him only inches behind her. "Oh...you're...right there..."

He quickly kissed her before hurrying off to the car.

"Driton Antonius Dovolani, you get back here!" she sputtered.

"Oh really?" He teased.

"Yes, really." She said, sauntering over to where he stood.

"And what if I don't?"

"Then I'll have to find some way to punish you." She said, swaying her hips as she walked to her car.

"Oy..."

She laughed as she reached for her car door handle and felt Tony's hand enclose hers. "Allow me." He whispered, his breath on her ear.

Gulping, Ria nodded.

He opened the door, allowing his arm to rest on hers. She smiled as he helped her into the car. "I'll meet you at your place."

"Yeah...I'll see you there."


	21. The Dance Competition

Nick and Lena drove up to the hotel, their hearts beating somewhat nervously. The boys sat in the backseat, chattering excitedly. "What kind of dances does Uncle Tony perform?" Tommy asked his parents.

"American Rhythm, sweetheart." Lena said, checking her make-up in the car once before getting out.

"Cool!"

They smiled. It may have been a little over six years since they'd appeared at a competition, but their boys were starting to show a love and appreciation for the world of ballroom dance.

"Yep, it's very cool!" Nick said as he turned off the engine and got out of the car.

--

They walked backstage for a moment. To Danny and Tommy, the flurry of activity was excitingly chaotic. To Nick and Lena, seeing the dancers run around backstage was like coming home.

Nick and Lena were both somewhat grateful that the dancers all seemed so engrossed in their preparations that they didn't notice the former American smooth world champions standing in their midst. They quietly made their way to where Tony was getting ready.

"Hi, Tony!" Nick greeted, somewhat quietly.

"NICK!" The Albanian said, turning around quickly.

Nick hushed him. "Hey, we're trying to keep a low-profile here…"

"Sorry." Tony said, apologetically.

Just then, he felt someone pinch his rear, and he whirled around with a yelp. He saw Elena Grinenko, Tony's partner saunter over to Tony, smiling devilishly. "Hello, Nick…"

"Elena." He said, a dark red blush quickly spreading. Lena softly chuckled, but Tommy and Danny looked up at their father.

"What?" They asked, confused. Neither had noticed the discreet pinch.

"Nothing…"

Just then, Tony got a wicked gleam in his eye. "NICK'S BODY IS A TEMPLE!" He shouted. "OPEN HOUSE!"

The Aussie felt his face flush a crimson color as dancers from all over the room came toward them.

An all too-familiar petite woman with dark hair raced up to him, throwing her arms around him. As she did so, she was able to pinch his rear as well. "Nick, nice to see you!" she said, grinning at him.

"You too, Cheryl..." He replied, returning her smile ruefully.

He received a few more "greetings" from some of the other women that he knew, like Kym Johnson, Edyta Sliwinska, and Anna Roberts.

Lena was trying to keep from laughing, and Danny noticed this fact. "Mummy, what's so funny?" He asked curiously.

Meanwhile, the men clustered around Nick, clapping him on the shoulder and chorusing hellos.

"Who are these two handsome gentlemen?" Kym asked, getting down on her knees so she was eye level with Tommy and Danny.

"My name is Daniel Kosovich." Danny replied formally, reaching out and kissing her hand.

Kym looked up at Nick and grinned. "This one is DEFINTELY yours, Nick!"

Nick looked down at his son proudly and they exchanged a knowing grin between them. Tommy greeted Kym with an enthusiastic hug which made the young woman laugh.

All of the other women were charmed by the twins as well and Nick practically had to pry his sons away from their fan club. "Aww, Dad..." Tommy complained as they went out to take their seats.

"It's almost time for Uncle Tony to dance." Nick told him firmly.

Danny was still grinning from when Cheryl had kissed him on the cheek. He hadn't allowed his mother to wipe the lipstick off of his face and she shook her head. Her son already went for the exotic ones!

They joined Ria who was proudly sitting in the front row so she could see Tony better and waited for the dancing to start.

The emcee came on and announced that the Social Dance would be first, which was a waltz. A wistful smile spread over Nick's face at the mention of his second favorite dance. Tony came from backstage wearing a black tuxedo with a deep red cummerbund and bowtie and offered his hand to Ria, who took it like she was in a dream.

Ria's red gown was a LeNique creation, with a "twirly" skirt as Grace had dubbed it and a lovely rhinestone top. As Nick and Lena had also pieced together Tony's costume, they were perfectly matched in color scheme and style- something that Ria and Tony hadn't expected.

Nick nudged Lena and grinned. She returned his grin and pulled his arm around her as she settled in next to him.

They'd had a "Girls' Day" that morning, and Lena had taken Ria to get some all-out spa treatment. She'd gotten a manicure, pedicure, facial, hair styling, and then they'd gone back to the O'Neills' house where Lena had proceeded to give her a make-over. If Nick was completely honest with himself, and he usually was, he could see the woman that Ria had become since meeting Tony, in the transformation.

As he guided her out onto the floor, Tony pulled Ria into proper waltz hold, waiting for the music to start. Then, he looked into her eyes. "Ready for this?" He asked softly.

She took a deep breath and nodded, though the butterflies in her stomach were telling her otherwise.

He gave her a gentle smile and placed a light kiss on her forehead. "You'll be fine."

She relaxed for a moment. "Right..."

The music started and Tony grinned as he recognized the Lifehouse song "You And Me."

He began to gently lead her in a few basic steps and she suddenly realized that her nerves of being in front of hundreds or thousands of people with her limited dance moves, were starting to melt in the strength of Tony's embrace.

Nick and Lena were impressed at the smoothness of their moves. They both knew that Tony's specialty was American Rhythm for a reason...he wasn't quite able to grasp the smooth dances as easily as they had been able to, and so, to see Tony and Ria doing such a beautiful smooth dance, while not entirely unexpected, was a nice surprise.

Tony swung her out and pulled her back to him where he picked her up in a lift and circled the floor with her.

The boys stared at the couple in absolute surprise. "Wow!" Danny said, watching his "uncle" dance.

As the last few bars of the song played, Tony got down on one knee with Ria sitting on the other. They ended the dance with their arms wrapped around each other, Ria's head resting on Tony's shoulder.

As they finished the hold, Tony heard soft sobs coming from Ria. As he took her off the floor, he pulled her aside. "Are you okay?"

She wiped at her face quickly so as not to have raccoon eyes. "I'm fine."

"Ria..."

She looked up into his face and caressed his cheek. "These are called happy tears, Tony."

He gave a low chuckle. "Oy...you women...no matter how long I live, I will never understand the happy tears!"

She merely threw her arms around him, enjoying the feeling of being near him. He reciprocated the embrace, feeling the softness of her body against his.

They stood there for a long moment until Tony pulled back slightly. "I have to go get ready for my Jive." He said regretfully.

She nodded. "Have fun."

He grinned. "I will...as always." Leaning in, he swiftly kissed her. "Të fala." He whispered.

"Me too."

He gave her another swift grin before heading backstage to ready himself for the Jive. As he was pulling his boots on, Elena asked, "Was that Ria?"

He stiffened. "Uh...yeah."

She grinned. "You make a good pair."

He was genuinely taken aback. "Thank you."

She shrugged, and looked pointedly over at the doorway. Turning his gaze to where she was looking, he was surprised to see Artem Chezinski.

"You two dating?"

She blushed. "Yeah..."

"Good for you." Tony said, smiling.

"I guess that'll put the rumors that you and I are together to rest finally!" Elena laughed.

"Yeah..." He said, softly chuckling.

There was a long pause and then he looked up. "We should probably go out there and Jive..."

"Let's get this party started!" Elena replied.

He chuckled as he gave her his arm and they walked out onto the dance floor.

Reaching up a free hand, he adjusted his cowboy hat. Tony felt so strange with it on, but Elena assured him it was fine.

Taking a deep breath, he sat in one of the front row chairs with a guitar on his knee. As "These Boots Were Made For Walkin'" came on, he strummed along for a minute before following Elena out onto the dance floor.

They started off with 4 bars of a country line dance before moving into the kicks, flicks, turns and tricks of the traditional Jive.

Ria watched the dance in fascination. Tony in a cowboy hat and boots...enough said.

The crowd started whooping and hollering when Elena came out behind Tony and he lifted her leg, pretending to play it like a guitar.

The dance ended with Tony on the floor being "walked on" by Elena. On the last beat, she planted her boot on his chest.

Nick snuck a peek at Ria, who was trying not to be completely catatonic. He chuckled as he nudged Lena. She looked in the direction of the young woman and smiled. "She's drooling." She whispered, chuckling.

"I noticed." Nick replied, with a grin.

Nick looked at Lena as if to ask if he should say anything and she shook her head. "Let the woman drool!"

"That WAS a nice Jive though..."

"Yes, it was...one of his best." She admitted.

After they finished taking their bows, Tony led Elena backstage where Artem was waiting for her with a large bouquet of flowers. He smiled, greeting Artem before discreetly going to put some normal shoes on!

Ria hurried backstage where she met Tony, just lacing up his shoes.

"Hej." He said, standing up.

"Hi." She said, still a dreamy look on her face from the Jive.

Stepping forward, Tony took one of her hands. "How did I do?"

"Very well." She said, regaining some of her composure.

He grinned to himself before pulling her back outside to see the rest of the dancers perform. While the floor was being cleaned to ensure that no one slipped, Tony looked straight across the floor and felt himself freeze. There was Inna Ivanenko sitting with Slavik Kryyylyk.

Tony looked at Ria. "Would you excuse me for a moment?"

"Tony!" She said, hurrying after him.

He stopped and gave her a sad smile. "I need to do this on my own, Ria."

"It's her...isn't it?" She asked, before placing a kiss on his cheek.

He nodded. "It is."

She nodded, turning back to sit with Nick, Lena and the boys.

Taking a deep breath, Tony strode purposefully forward until he reached where she was sitting. He was surprised to find that by the time he arrived at his destination, Slavik had taken another seat elsewhere. "Hello, Inna."

She turned, surprised. "Tony!" Almost instantly, she looked around, uncomfortably.

He took a seat next to her. "How are you?"

"Fine." She replied, quickly, returning her gaze to the other dancer.

Tony raised an eyebrow and gave her a half smile. "Inna...I know you. Anytime you answer a question that fast..."

"No, really...I'm fine." She said, taking a breath so as to slow down her speech and convince her former dance partner and boyfriend that she really was okay.

"Look...if you ever need to talk to somebody, I still consider you a friend and someone who is important to me...just remember that." He told her seriously, giving her a light one-armed hug.

She swallowed. "I guess...this is just a little...awkward for me..."

Tony shrugged. "It's all water under the bridge as far as I'm concerned."

She nodded, sadly, looking at the ground. "Who was the woman that you waltzed with?"

He grinned shyly. "My girlfriend Ria."

She tensed. "Ah..."

Tony looked more closely at her and didn't see the normal sparkle in her eyes. "Inna, seriously...what's going on?"

She looked down at her hands as she caught a glance of Slavik with another woman. "Nothing..."

"Inna, there's SOMETHING going on." Tony responded strongly.

She looked back up, seeing the same sight that had met her eyes earlier and Tony allowed his eyes to follow hers.

"Inna...you deserve better than that..." He said sadly.

"No, Tony...I don't." She whispered. "You see...you sat here once, and I…I was the woman..." She couldn't bear to finish her sentence. "I'm so sorry, Tony." She finally sobbed.

He put a gentle arm around her and did his best to comfort her. "Inna, look at me."

She tried to pull away from him, but the gentleness in his voice beckoned her obedience.

"Just because you made a mistake doesn't mean that you deserve to have someone do something like this to you...you need to get rid of him."

She looked down at the ground. "I can't..."

"Yes, you can." He told her softly.

"No, Tony...I mean...we're doing so well!" She said, trying to smile.

Tony looked at her, a sad expression on his face. "Don't lie to me, Inna...I've heard the stories."

"Stories?"

"I've heard about how you have to dance his way, choreograph his way, do everything HIS way...I look at you and your sparkle, the things that made you...well, you, is gone."

She flinched at each of his stresses on "His..." "That's just how he does things...He's brilliant...that's what makes him so..."

Tony interrupted her as he snorted. "That's also what makes him unable to keep a partner for more than 8 months! Inna, there are so many people who would help you if you'd let them..."

"Like?" She asked, derisively. "Everyone turned away from me when I went to Slavik..."

"I'll help you, Nick and Lena would help you, Jesse would help you..."

"Tony...I couldn't ask you to do that..."

He placed a hand on her shoulder. "I'm offering."

Tears stung her eyes. "Why are you doing this?"

Tony gave her one of his old smiles. "Because believe it or not, I still think you're a great girl who deserves to be treated better than a piece of crap under someone's boot."

She bit her lip. "Okay..."

"Do you want me to be there when you tell Slavik, or would you like a whole team?"

She took a deep breath. "I think I should do this on my own..."

"Are you sure?"

She gave a wan smile. "What? The worst he could do is walk off..."

"Inna..." He sighed.

"Tony...it wouldn't be anything that I haven't handled before..."

"Yes, but we BOTH know what his temper is like and he is NOT going to like hearing this."

"I know..." She said, quietly looking at her hands and remembering the bruises she often had from Slavik's rough grasp on her arms, and that was when he didn't mean to hurt her. For something like this, she could expect much worse. "That's why I've been postponing it..."

"As I said, I can get a team together..."

"And what's going to happen, Tony? I get everyone into an all-out brawl?"

"No...there would be no brawl. Slavik would die and that would be the end of that."

She chuckled, darkly. "Tony, you know it would come to blows..."

"Yes, but can you imagine the outrage if Slavik hits Nick? A man recovering from a broken leg? I would imagine that he would get jail time for that..."

"You're not going to let me do this myself, are you?"

"Hell to the n-o." He said affectionately.

"Okay...get whoever you want..." She said, submissively.

"Who do YOU want?" Tony countered, refusing to let her get off easily.

"I don't know what I want anymore, Tony..."

Tony thought for a moment before realizing that she had probably just shared more than she wanted to share in the first place. "Well, even though Louis is feisty, I think he's a little too short to be of much use..."

"Might wanna have him anyway..." She whispered, quietly. "He'd be able to take out Slavik's legs..."

Tony nodded thoughtfully. "Very true...he could probably bite his kneecaps off or something..."

She chuckled. "No, really...Tony...I trust you..."

He nodded. "I'll go round up the gang...stay here until I get back?"

She nodded, grimly.

He gave her a reassuring smile before heading away and practically running to Nick. "Hey Nick, wanna help me chase Slavik out of the building?"

"Of course...what's the occasion?"

"He's cheating on Inna and I'm pretty sure some abuse has gone on there too...she wants to leave him but we all know what HIS temper is like..."

Nick raised an eyebrow as he turned to Lena. "I'll...be back."

Tony snickered at the unintentional quoting of the line from "Terminator" as they went and also got Louis Van Amstel, Jesse Desoto, Alec Mazo, Jonathan Roberts and Artem to come with them.

By the time they got to Inna, Slavik had already returned. "So...you're going back to your ex?" Slavik asked, heatedly.

"No."

"You lying whore! You're sleeping with him, aren't you?"

Nick stepped forward. "That's enough out of you...Slavik."

"What're you gonna do, Aussie?"

Nick looked Slavik up and down and snorted. "I don't kill endangered species like cockroaches..."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?!"

"You know what I mean...you're not even worth my time to breathe on."

"Well...this is none of your business." He said, grabbing Inna by the arm and heading out of the room.

Nick caught Slavik by the ponytail and hauled him backwards. "I don't think the lady said she wanted to leave yet, Slavik."

In Slavik's surprise, he let go of Inna and she ran behind the cluster of men.

"Last time I checked, you had your own woman." He spat back at Nick. "So...why do you need mine? Lena not giving you enough?"

Nick's eyes darkened and he grabbed Slavik's hand, twisting it until the younger man howled in pain. "You say one more word about my wife, and I will make you wish you'd never been born."

There was genuine fear in the man's eyes as Nick let the man go.

Lifting a finger, Nick poked Slavik in the chest a couple times. "You leave Inna alone...or we WILL find a way to get you, some way, somehow."

Slavik looked at the men with a look of hatred and then at Inna. "She wasn't worth my time anyway." He said, turning and leaving.

"That's rich coming from you, slimeball!" Louis called after him.

Behind them, Inna started sobbing, and Tony gathered her up into his arms. "It's okay..."

Ria watched the whole encounter from a distance, wondering just what this meant for her.

After a few moments, Louis took over comfort duties and Tony made his way over to Lena and Ria.

"That got pretty ugly." Lena said, referencing the encounter.

"Yeah...Slavik said some things that made Nick...upset."

Lena's eyebrows raised. It took a LOT for her husband to get angry.

Ria stayed really quiet. She really liked Tony, but she wasn't going to let herself get hurt again.

"Ria, you okay?" Tony asked, putting his arm around her.

She pulled away and walked in the opposite direction.

"Ria, wait!" Tony begged, running after her.

She whirled around, tears staining her cheeks again. "No, Tony...I want you to be happy...and I'm really happy for you...really..."

"What?!? Ria, what on earth are you talking about?!?" Tony asked, extremely confused.

She bit her lip. "Don't pretend to be ignorant. I saw the way you looked at her…the way you held her…" She turned around, gathered her skirts together and ran to the parking lot.

Tony ran after her. "Ria, I'm not getting back together with Inna!" He yelled desperately.

She got to the grass outside the hotel, her make-up smudged with her tears. She stopped, the combination of sobs and the sight of Tony with his arms around Inna making her sick to and forcing her to her knees as she wrapped her arms around her stomach.

Tony reached her, and she looked up at him, miserably. "That sure looked like you were..."

He shook his head no, dropping to his knees beside her. "Her boyfriend Slavik was abusing her." He said softly.

She took rapid, short breaths, barely exhaling as she placed her palms on her stomach to stop the tiny pulses running through her diaphragm. "I'm sorry." She said, looking at him. "I...I didn't...I didn't know..."

Tony smiled at her gently. "How could you? You're not in the ballroom loop...we all knew that Slavik was a jerk, but she was too scared to leave him."

"And I'm too scared to stay..." She said, biting her lip.

Tony took her by the hands and pulled her up. "I'm used to traveling...no matter where you go, I'll find you." He said softly.

She looked at him, trying not to sob. "Really?"

He nodded. "I told you that I love you in my native tongue...I never even said that to Inna."

"I...I wanted to believe...but...for a moment..." She starting breathing rapidly again, trying to keep herself from sobbing.

"The whole world crashed around you again?" He asked, pulling her close and into a strong embrace.

She nodded, tears wetting his shirt. She pulled away. "I'm getting you all wet..."

"It'll dry." He said, shrugging. "You gonna be okay?"

She nodded. "I'm just...I'm embarrassed..."

"It's ok." He said, reaching out and taking her face between his hands, his thumbs gently skimming her face and wiping her tears away.

"No...I...I doubted you...and..."

He gently shushed her, pulling her close again.

"It doesn't matter...të fala...kohë."

"That's beautiful." She said, her weeping subsiding before she gave a tiny chuckle. "Now, what'd it mean?"

"I love you...forever."

"Me too." She said soberly, looking into his eyes as she leaned toward him.

Letting his hands drop down from her face, Tony drew her into his arms and kissed her.

Nick hurried out the door. "Hey, Tony...you...okay...never mind..."

Without breaking the kiss, Tony took one hand and made the universal gesture for "shoo!" at him.

"Got it..." The Aussie said, a slight smirk on his lips as he went back inside.

Pulling his lips from hers, Tony looked down at Ria. "Shall we go?" He asked, slightly breathless. She nodded, serenely.

Entwining his hand with hers, he pulled her toward the car he was driving, his mind full of possibilities. As they walked, she let her head rest on his shoulder.

Unlocking the door for her, he slid in behind the driver's seat. "I'm glad I didn't leave the boots on...they'd be murder to drive in!"

She chuckled. "Wouldn't have minded the boots..." She admitted, softly.

"At least I have the hat..." Tony said with a grin.

She raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

He plopped it on his head. "Howdy little lady." He said in a quasi Western-Albanian drawl.

She laughed. "I'm sorry, Tony, but you better stick with Albanian." She said, perfectly imitating his accent.

He grinned broadly at this.

She blushed. "I'm sorry..."

"Why? I think it's kinda sexy." Tony said, wiggling his eyebrows at her.

"Really?" She asked, giving him a slightly seductive grin. "In that case..." She continued in the accent.

"Oy..." He groaned as he drove her home.

She leaned over, her lips next to his ear. "Wanna come upstairs?" She asked, as he stopped the car.

Tony felt a shudder run down his spine. "Sure..."

"You know...for...coffee..." She laughed, pulling away from him.

"Torture, thy name is Ria..." Tony said theatrically as he opened the door for her.

"I'm glad you finally noticed."

He raised an eyebrow and walked toward the house, a Latin sway in his hips.

She ran up to him, and grabbed his waist. "Don't you leave without me..."

Tony gave her a cheeky smile. "Get a move on then, slowpoke..."

"Race ya..." She said, lifting her skirt to show him her heels and remind him of his obvious advantage.

Tony kissed her, then started running up the stairs to her apartment.

"Cheater!" She called after him, racing to make up for lost time.

"You know it!"

She caught up to him at the door, and pinned him against it. "Oh, Tony...you are a bad boy..."

He smiled seductively at her as he turned the tables on her, pushing her up against the other door frame. "Gonna punish me?" He whispered next to her ear, his voice husky and low.

Suddenly, panic seized her, and she ducked out of his embrace, walking into the kitchen, where she started to make coffee…trying to keep herself busy.

Instantly contrite, Tony followed her. "Ria…"

"I'm sorry, Tony…kinda ruined the mood, didn't I?"

"This…was a bad idea…"

"No, Tony…it wasn't…it's just…this is the first time since…" She didn't need to finish her sentence.

"Ah." He said, still unsure of what to do. "Ria, I…I'll see you tomorrow."

"No!"

He turned. "What?"

"I…I want you to teach me to dance…like we did tonight…"

"Ria…"

"I want to dance…with you…"

He swallowed. "If we dance tonight, I'm not sure I'll be able to control myself…"

"I don't want you to…" She said, softly.

"But…I just scared you…"

"No…the memory scared me…that wasn't you…" She said, walking back up to him and allowing herself to be so near to him that he could smell the faint perfume lingering on her skin.

"Ria…"

"Do you want me?" She asked, kissing him on the cheek, tentatively as if convincing herself that she really DID want this.

He groaned, involuntarily. "Yes…"

"Then, let's try not to think about the past…"

"That's so much easier said than done…"

"I know…believe me, I know…" She said, using his own accent against him.

"You asked for it…" He said, pulling her into his arms.

Closing his eyes, Tony began humming a song by Berlin called "Take My Breath Away" as he guided her slowly in a rumba.

He lifted her up, allowing her body to slide down his chest as he set her down before spinning her out and back to him again.

She stole a kiss at that moment. He returned the kiss, wrapping his arms around her and holding her tightly to him.

"I love you." She moaned.

"I love you too." He said, looking into her eyes.

"I know." She said, trusting him with her mind, her heart, and her body.

Swallowing, Tony looked toward the hallway in front of him. Without saying a word, he took her by the hand and began the walk to the bedroom.

--

After the competition finished, Nick and Lena walked out to the car, each carrying a twin. They gently sat their sons in the backseat of the car and quietly moved to their seats at the front. As they did so, Lena looked at her husband. He had been rather quiet since he'd returned after Tony disappeared with Ria. She looked forward again, wondering if she should say anything, and then finally, she turned again. "Nick…"

"I don't want to talk about it, Lena." He said, pulling onto the freeway.

"Nick, you're upset."

"Yes, Lena…" He said, his tone icy. "I am very upset."

She reached a hand out to his arm. "Nick. I've never seen you so angry. What happened?"

A heavy sigh escaped Nick's lips. "I almost lost it, Lena…"

She raised an eyebrow in surprise. Usually she said these things to him, not the other way around. This was her genteel and polite husband. He didn't try to pick a fight. "You?" She couldn't help but exclaim softly.

He nodded. "Yes…the James Bond of the Ballroom just about snapped the Russian Playboy in two…"

"Wow…" She breathed, surprised.

"There are some men who don't deserve to walk freely in polite company."

"What'd he say?"

Nick didn't reply, but merely clenched his grip on the steering wheel.

"Nicholas?"

"He was foul-mouthed, Lena…that's all you need to know."

"That's all I need to know?" She asked, heatedly. "So…suddenly the chivalrous knight in shining armor has become the chauvinistic knight in smudged armor."

Nick had just pulled into the O'Neill driveway. "What?"

"You heard me." She said, hoping that by egging him on, he would spill what was really under his skin.

"He was rude and crass, Lena…I'm not going to offend your ears with the words that he said."

"He's not the only one who's rude and crass…and you haven't been moved to physically injure them all."

"Lena, he referenced you." He finally breathed in a frustrated anger. "He suggested that you weren't 'fulfilling my desires' so to speak and that I had taken Inna as a mistress…" He got out of the car and stooped to look into her eyes again. "Satisfied?"

He slammed the door before she could react and picked up little Danny, hobbling to the door as he did so.

Lena sat there in stunned silence. Part of her was outraged that she had been dragged into the fray. Another part of her was incensed that anyone could suggest that Nick would be anything but faithful to his wedding vows. And yet another part of her was touched that Nick had indeed played the role of the knight in shining armor, rescuing the honor of his damsel in distress…though she hardly categorized herself as such.

She saw him hobble out yet again, fairly certain that she hadn't come in. He went around the car to pick up little Tommy and carry him inside as well. She took a deep breath. It was time to go and eat crow, she thought. She'd egged him on, and in doing so, she had made some assumptions that had made her look foolish.

She walked into the boys' bedroom after her husband, just in time to see him place a tender kiss on the young boy's forehead. "Sweet dreams." He whispered.

He turned around to leave, only to find Lena standing in the doorway. The look in her eyes told him everything that he needed to know, but also reminded him that they both needed to apologize. It had been an evening of intense feelings and passions. And it was time to deal with the fallout of those same passions.

He walked toward her, placing his arm around her waist and pulling her close to him as they walked to the bedroom. "Are you okay?"

She looked up at him, surprised at his question.

"What I mean to say is are you going to track Slavik down tonight and take him to a dark alley where you will proceed to kick the crap out of him or are you okay?"

She chuckled. "I think you hurt him worse than I could."

He was surprised at the level of honesty that there was in her tone. "How?"

"The whole ballroom saw your conflict! He's never going to have another dance partner, even if nobody reports him…so…I think you kicked his ego better than I could kick his butt."

He smiled wanly. "The way he said it made it seem as though he was accusing me of settling for 'less' and Inna of being a common whore." He paused as he faced her. "Nothing could be further from the truth about me, Lena…I know I don't deserve a woman even half as good as you…"

She reached up and kissed him. "Nick…believe it or not, I feel the same way…you are such a good man…and it's a wonder sometimes that you even put up with me…"

He raised an eyebrow. "Put up with you?"

"Come on, Nick…six BOXES of fake jewels? Not very many husbands would even be asked to go along with that, let alone be WILLING to go with it…"

He chuckled. "You have a point there."

Their laughter subsided for a moment. "But I love you, and I know you love me…and so…for that reason, alone, I am willing to stay by you. I know you have your faults, and I have mine, but…at the end of the day, we still love each other and that will help us to raise our boys and face the challenges of life with a strength that we can only imagine."

Nick nodded, placing a kiss on the top of her head. "Ah…my wise and beautiful Elena…"

She looked up at him, chuckling in good nature. "My knight in shining armor."

"So…are you suggesting that you're my damsel in distress?"

"Not exactly in distress…"

"In what, then, Lena?" He asked, full accent.

"I'm your delightful damsel…" She said, pulling him closer as she kissed him again.

"Delightful?"

She pulled away from him. "Am I not?"

"I never said you weren't." He replied suavely.

She resumed her kisses as he gracefully kicked the door closed with his bad leg.


	22. The Morning After

The light of the sun streamed in through the blinds, waking Tony. He grinned as he rolled over to greet Ria, only to find her gone. His heart raced as he contemplated her moment of hesitation the night before and he got up quickly. He threw on some clothes and walked out to the main living area of her apartment. He heard a tiny chuckle come from the kitchen, where Ria stood, wearing a robe, a cup of coffee in her hands. "Morning." 

"Morning." Tony said, somewhat surprised.

Ria turned and walked back into the kitchen with Tony following her. She put her mug on the counter and pulled out another mug, which she promptly filled with the bitter liquid. Before she could finish, Tony approached her, put his arms around her waist and leaned his head on her shoulder. "I like waking up to coffee, but I would have liked to wake up to you first…" He said, honestly.

She looked at him. "Sorry…had some things on my mind…"

"Good, bad, or ugly?" He asked, gently pushing her to speak to him.

A gentle, yet slightly sad smile graced her lips as she turned, the coffee mugs still on the counter. She put her arms around Tony and nestled her head in the crook of his neck. "A little of everything…" She admitted.

"Something I can help with?" He asked, gently rubbing her back as he held her tightly in his arms.

"You already have…" She whispered.

"Okay…"

She chuckled as she pulled away for a moment, just to observe his facial expressions. "You have NO idea what you did, do you?"

"Nope…I'm just a man…I don't understand that complexity of the female mind."

She chuckled. "It's more a question of whether you understand the complexity of the female heart…"

"That too…"

She sighed. "Last night was romantic…something I've never really had before…sure, there were ups and downs, but…I felt like…Cinderella."

"That was the point." Tony said, softly as he let his head lean against hers.

She smiled. "Thank you…it really was magical."

"Ria, you deserve nothing but the best…"

She nodded as tears started misting her vision.

"But I can't give you what you deserve." He finished.

She looked up sharply and he continued quickly.

"But I still love you like I've never loved anyone else…and…even though it seems really soon, I know I can't live without you…"

She gasped. "Are you asking me to marry you?"

"I…well…that's sure what it sounds like, isn't it?" Tony said, surprising even himself. "But…if…"

She placed one finger on his lips. "When?"

"What?" Tony asked, shocked.

"When? When do you want me to marry you?"

"You want to?" He asked, still stunned by the suddenness of the proposal and plans. "I mean…I don't have a ring or anything…"

She nodded. "That's okay…we can get one…but that's not important."

"It's not?" Tony asked, trying to understand the female psyche…

"Not to me…right now, all that is important is that you love me…you really love me. And you want to spend the rest of your life with me…"

"Really?"

She nodded. "And, you know what, Tony Dovolani?"

"What?"

"I love you too." She said, leaning close to him before stealing a kiss.

"You do?" He asked, dazed from the kiss.

"Yes. And I want to spend the rest of my life with you. So, I accept your proposal."

Tony raised an eyebrow. "Wow…"

She chuckled. "Oh come on…I thought I was the one with self-esteem issues…"

"You're not the only one…" He admitted softly.

"I know." She said, quietly. "I saw you with Elena backstage for a little while, and then…I saw you with Inna…"

"Yeah…one relationship ended up all right, but the other…"

"You're still expected to be her knight in shining armor…" She whispered, softly.

He looked at her, trying to decipher her meaning, and she looked down at the floor. "It's okay…I just…I needed to know…"

"No," He said, shaking his head. "From now on, it's one professional to another in that relationship. If she needs a shoulder to cry on, I'll send her to Louis." He said, a tiny gleam in his eye.

She chuckled. "Okay…"

"Okay…" He said, pulling away and picking up his mug of coffee. As he sat down, he noticed the time on the clock. It was nearly ten o' clock. He choked on his coffee as that time sunk in.

"What?" Ria asked, worriedly. "What's wrong?"

"You're supposed to be at work!" He sputtered.

She smiled and shook her head. "Nope. I'm here today…and for the next week or so…I'm on leave…"

"You are?" Tony asked, surprised. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because Janet told me yesterday that I'd been working too hard and deserved a week off…"

Tony nodded. "You have been working a lot lately."

She shrugged. "I love my job."

"Yeah I know…" Tony said, almost sadly as another thought occurred to him. "Are you sure you want to marry me?"

"Are you trying to back out?"

"No, of course not!" Tony said, empathically. "But…I live in New York, and you live here…one of us is going to have to move our base of operations…"

"Me." She said, sitting upright.

"You? I…I wasn't trying to…"

"I know…I've thought about this. You have a studio that you're running, and your partner's in New York. You need to stay in New York."

"But…"

"There are plenty of hospitals in New York that could use a nurse practitioner, aren't there?"

"Well, yeah, but…"

"No buts, Tony…you're planning on being here for a few weeks, right?"

"Yeah…"

"So, you could move in with me while you're here, I'll give my two weeks' notice and let the landlord know that I'm going. Then, when you're ready, we can go back to New York."

"You're sure."

"Yes, Tony, I am."

He looked at the clock and then at his coffee and then at her. "So…how do you feel about Vegas?" He asked with a grin.

--

At ten o' clock, there was a knock on the door to the O'Neill residence and inn. Sam and Lena were at the kitchen table, visiting and eating breakfast. Sam stood to get the door, but Lena placed a hand on her arm. "I'll get it."

"Thanks."

Lena walked over to the door, and opened it to find Valentin Chemerkovskiy, Slavik's young pupil, standing on the stoop. "Val." She greeted, surprised.

"Mrs. Kosovich."

"It's Lena…what can I do for you?"

"I just wanted to apologize for what Slavik said about you last night. It was inappropriate, and I can only give my sincerest apologies for the viciousness of those remarks."

Lena bit the inside of her cheek. "It's not something that you need to apologize for, Val."

"Perhaps not, but I felt that someone should, and I knew that Slavik wouldn't be the one to do so."

A tiny smile managed to return to Lena's features. "Thank you."

"May I speak with your husband?" He asked, hesitantly.

"Of course. Come in, and I'll get him." Lena said, opening the door a little wider.

He nodded, gravely as he stepped inside. "Thank you."

Lena hurried down the hallway, and stepped into the guest room to find her husband struggling to get dressed.

"Let me help you." She said, as she walked over quickly.

"All right…" Nick said, somewhat surprised at her haste. "Something wrong?"

"Valentin Chemerkovskiy is here. And he'd like to have a word with you."

Nick took a deep breath. "Okay…"

She put a hand on his arm. "He came to apologize about last night…"

"Oh." Nick said, not without a sigh of relief.

"He's beating himself up about this…so, don't be too hard on him…"

"Lena…"

"Nick."

"I'll try."

She smiled and kissed his temple. "That's all I can ask you to do…"

A few minutes later, Nick hobbled out to the entry, leaning fairly heavily on his cane. Mornings were not friendly to his healing limb. "Hello."

"Mr. Kosovich." Val said, giving a slight bow in the older man's direction.

"It's Nick."

"Nick." The young man agreed.

"Is there something I can help you with?"

"Well, first of all, I would like to apologize for Slavik's actions last night. They were immensely inappropriate, and for that I apologize."

"You don't need to apologize, Val. It's your coach who should apologize."

"You've known him for a long time, Nick…when does he ever do what he SHOULD do?"

"I can't deny that you've got a point." He sighed.

There was an awkward silence as Val looked at Nick's injured leg.

"Something wrong?" Nick asked, noticing the studiousness that Val was employing.

"You're not teaching, are you?"

"Teaching? Uh…not at the moment…"

"Slavik kicked me out of his studio when I suggested that he should apologize, and…to be honest, I don't think I want to work with him any longer."

"Well, if I were going to be in New York soon, I would offer you to join my studio, but I'm working on another project right now. But let me call my friend, Tony Dovolani."

"I already tried to reach him, but I haven't gotten an answer."

"Well, I have his personal cell phone. He may have turned off his business cell."

Val nodded. "Well, this is the hotel that I'm staying at. I'll be there for another week. Then, you can call my home number."

Nick accepted the business card with the information on it. "Well, I'll let you know what I find out."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome."

He closed the door as the young man walked out of the house, and sighed. "Lena?" He called, looking at the business card.

"Yes?" She asked, stepping out of the boys' room, little Nicky O'Neill at her feet.

"Have you seen Tony?"

"Nope."

"Funny, 'cuz Val tried calling him, but hasn't been able to reach him on his work cell."

"Well, he doesn't answer that one quite as often as he probably should." Lena admitted.

"Yeah, but…he and Ria disappeared after the competition last night…and we haven't heard from him since…"

"He's probably over there."

"Lena!"

"What?"

"I do NOT want to think about that!"

"You were just asking for it!"

"But that doesn't mean that I wanted it!"

"Anyway…I'm sure Tony'll be here in a little while…he's got to get his suitcase before heading back to New York."

"You've got a point." He said, nodding.

She chuckled. "I ALWAYS have a point…"

"Right…how could I forget?" He chuckled, kissing her quickly. "I need to get back to that costume order…I'll see you at lunch."

"All right. Go forth and sew…" She laughed.

He shook his head before sobering. "I love you…"

She looked at him, somewhat surprised before she returned his sentiment. "I love you too…"

He took her hand in his and squeezed it. "I don't know what I would do without you…"

"Nick…you're scaring me."

He shook his head with a chuckle. "Yeah…sounding a little "doomsday-ish" aren't I? I'll see you at lunch."

She nodded, her eyes clouded with worry. "Yeah…"


	23. Surprises

Two days later, there was a knock at the door, and Jack opened it. There stood Tony and Ria, looking somewhat nervous. "TONY! RIA!" 

"General O'Neill."

"I've told you before…it's Jack."

"Jack."

"What can I help you with?"

"Are Nick and Lena here?"

"Yep. So are the kids…and everyone else in the neighborhood." He laughed. "Come on in! Seems like we're having a party, though the reason why is still somewhat elusive."

"Well, sir, it's your house, and Nick and Lena are staying here…what more did you expect?" Ria asked, chuckling as she and Tony walked in.

"You definitely have a point there. And again, it's Jack." He smiled. He walked to the basement door. "Hey, Nick! Lena! Tony and Ria are here!"

"TONY!" The kids yelled as they ran toward the newly married couple, seemingly climbing out of the walls.

Nick and Lena walked up from the depths of the basement. "Tony! Ria!"

They grinned. "Nick. Lena."

"Where've ya been?" Nick asked, casually, almost expecting that he knew the answer and that Tony would skirt around the issue.

"Vegas." Ria answered, surprising everybody.

"Vegas? As in Las Vegas?"

Tony bit his lip as he tried not to laugh at Nick's comment. "No, it's a new place…it's here in Colorado. Real nice place."

Ria chuckled at her husband's sarcasm.

"You went to Las Vegas, Nevada…"

"I think we've established that." Sam said with a smile as she noticed the rings on the couple's left ring fingers. "And if I'm not mistaken, it was to get married."

"Married?" Nick asked, even more surprised if possible.

Ria and Tony both blushed a little bit, looking at their intertwined fingers in embarrassment.

"Yeah, Nick…as in…Mr. and Mrs. Dovolani." Tony said, turning a loving gaze to his wife who returned it whole-heartedly.

"You've known each other a whole…six weeks?" Nick asked, still in shock.

"When you know, you just know."

"Congratulations, guys!" Jack said, giving them both a hug.

Tony grinned sheepishly. "We would have invited you all but it was rather...spur of the moment..."

Ria giggled as Lena stepped forward and gave them both a hug. "I'm so glad to see you two together." She said, warmly.

"Not as glad as I am." Tony replied softly, looking at Ria, a tender expression in his eyes.

Her stomach turned in knots as she returned the tender gaze. "Or me."

"Yeck!" Danny said, wrinkling up his nose.

They turned back to the group. "Sorry..." Tony said, clearing his throat.

"Mushy stuff." Tommy sighed.

"Yep." Lena said, pulling the kids toward the other room. "Let's go get the legos out..."

"Let's before I get scarred again." Danny muttered, following his mother willingly.

The adults chuckled. "So...Tony's moving to the Springs?" Jack asked, lightly trying to figure out whether or not the SGC would be losing one of their best nurses.

"Actually...I'm relocating to New York with him...he's already got his studio established there."

"Ah..." Sam and Jack turned thoughtful glances toward one another. "Good for you."

"I can get a job anywhere...and for Tony, it would mean losing his students, plus his partner is there as well." She said, shrugging.

"We understand. And Janet will too..." Sam said, smiling. "Now, I think I recall making some chocolate cake...anyone up for a piece?" She asked, lightly.

"Oooohhhh...cake..." Nick said, practically salivating.

She laughed. "I didn't know it was going to be a wedding cake, but...it'll have to do...for now, anyway..."

Both Tony and Ria laughed. "You'd better give us a piece first before Mr. Dough Boy eats it all!"

"Mr. Dough Boy?!" Nick huffed.

His friend turned and cocked an eyebrow at him. "And just who made himself sick on my mami's cookie dough 4 years ago, hmmm?"

"Okay...okay...you can have your cake..."

"Can we eat it too?" Ria asked lightly.

Nick laughed, putting his arm around the woman's shoulder. "Since you decided to allow yourself to be my best friend's better half...I suppose you deserve all the cake you want..."

Tony smirked before turning to the rest of the questioning group. "He ate a bowl and a half of my Mami's dough...ever since then, she calls him her " vogël brumë djalë"."

Ria pulled away from Nick and placed her arms around her husband before laughing as she shook her head. "You're really going to have to get me an Albanian-English dictionary..."

"Her "little dough boy"." Her husband translated with a laugh.

"That's what I thought. But sometimes I can't make heads or tails of what you say..." She chuckled.

Sam handed them a couple of plates of cake, and Ria got a mischievous grin on her face.

"Uh oh..." Tony said, not liking where this was going.

She cut the piece of cake into quarters and took one of the quarters into her fingers. She offered it to her husband who leaned in to accept it, cautiously. She laughed as he "accidentally" got frosting on his nose.

"Okay, I see how this is." Tony said, dipping his finger into the icing on his piece and smearing it on her cheek.

She giggled as she shoved another quarter toward his face, not really caring where it went.

Tony ended up with frosting on his chin. Picking up his piece, he rubbed it all over Ria's face.

"Anyone else think it would be better to leave than to stay and watch the fall-out?" Nick asked, quietly.

"Let's leave." Sam said quickly.

"Yep..." Jack agreed.

Nick tiptoed out the door, closing it behind him.

Tony saw the blush on Ria's cheeks as he leaned toward her intent on retrieving his mashed piece of cake.

"What?" He asked innocently.

"Nothing." She said, with a grin rivaling the one he'd tried to hide.

"Now...do I get to eat my cake?" He asked, his accent very thick and his eyes smoldering.

She got up onto her tiptoes, slinking her arms around his neck. "Ladies first, dear..."

"I see."

She looked him in the eyes as she leaned in and placed her mouth on his chin, taking her sweet time about taking the chocolate cake from it.

His pulse was racing. "Oy..."

She raised her eyebrow as she kissed his mouth and then headed up to his nose, and began her work there. Before long, she'd made her way back to his mouth, one of her long fingers caressing his cheek as she released him. "That was some good cake..."

"I think it's my turn now." He growled, his voice low.

"Excellent..." She said, closing her eyes as he leaned in and began his "clean-up".


	24. Negotiations Gone Bad

SG-3 had gone on one last recon mission before a decision would be made about what to do on Hanor. Kinsah stayed in the gate room, watching and waiting for them to return. When they did, he questioned them quickly, then came into Jack's office without preamble. "Team come back." He said. "Aten almost done building fortress."

"Kinsah...I have to debrief the team first...that could be a little while..." Jack said, with a sigh. "I'll let you know when I have a team ready to go..."

The young man nodded soberly and went to prepare himself. Taking his knife in his hands and tucking it into his boot, he looked at himself in a mirror and wondered what would happen. Shaking himself mentally, he went up to the meeting.

Jack let SG-3 go before pulling Daniel, Teal'c, Sam, Nick, and Kinsah into the briefing room. "Okay...Reynolds has just given me the intel...I'd like this to start off as a diplomatic mission...tell the people on Hanor that we can help them if they want to rebel against Aten...you guys know the drill..." He said to Daniel. "But as a diplomatic mission, I will accompany you. Sam, you're in charge." He said, turning a glance to his wife.

They nodded and Kinsah got up from the table. "When we go?"

Jack turned to his wife. "Yes, dear, when do we go?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "You're still in charge...you say..."

"Go soon?" The alien pressed.

"An hour..." Jack said, looking over at the red phone on his desk. He was going to get MAJOR complaints from the President and the Joint-Chiefs about leaving the planet. All he could hope was that they wouldn't set their gigantic feet down.

Nodding, Kinsah went to tell Rihana where he was going. "Rihana?" He called.

"Yes?" She asked, sitting next to Alan in the commissary. They'd been laughing and talking, and having a grand ol' time.

"I go in Hanor in hour."

"I come too." She said, standing.

"No." He said, shaking his head. "Too much danger. You stay."

"I strong woman." She protested. "I help."

"Must stay...if can get Nik'las and something happen to me, you take care of." Kinsah insisted urgently. "Promise!"

She looked down at her feet. "Promise." She conceded.

Reaching out a gentle hand, Kinsah touched his sister's cheek. "You all I have, except for son...not live if something happen to you."

"You come back fine." She said, strongly. "Nothing happen to you."

"Nothing sure in life, Rihana." Her brother replied sadly.

He hugged her then turned to leave, and she watched him go, tears misting in her eyes.

Kinsah turned back, looking at Alan. "Ah'len, you take care of sister."

"Yes, sir." He said, respectfully. "I wouldn't dream of letting anything happen to her..."

A slight smile quirked his lips. "Take care of for rest of life, Ah'len..."

Rihana's cheeks began to show her blush as Alan looked at her. "One way or another...I'll do my best..."

"Good." Kinsah said. Squaring his shoulders, he turned away and walked out of the room.

Alan looked over to see Rihana's lip quiver. "Come here." He said, pulling her into an embrace as she allowed herself to cry tears for the people she'd lost, for the brother she might lose and the family she felt slip slowly from her fingers.

"No matter what happens, I'll always be here for you." He whispered.

"I know..." She said, clinging to him.

He felt quite helpless in this situation. He wanted to promise her that her brother would be okay, but working in the SGC had taught him that the fragile threads holding people to life could be all too easily severed when you least expected it.

--

The team suited up, as did Nick, Daniel, Teal'c and Jack. "Okay people, let's head out." Jack said authoritatively.

They walked through the gate, weapons drawn. There was no telling what would await them on the other side.

Everyone was relieved however when there was no war party or contingent of Aten's Jaffa. Moving quickly and steathily, they hauled butt to the settlement.

After Daniel had argued with some of the men for a few minutes, he succeeded in speaking to Leinha, one of the junior members of the council. He spoke with the other members of that ruling body and though they did not wish to speak to Daniel, they said that they would think about allowing Nick to address them. Once Leinha left and some time passed, Daniel pestered another guard and learned that the village elders were stuck in a meeting, refusing to come out until they had come to a conclusion as to whether they would meet with Nick or not. For nearly two hours, Nick sat on a log by the fire just outside of the tent housing the village elders. At this point, Nick stood, his leg starting to get stiff. "I'm gonna go stretch. Let me know if they come to a decision before I get back?"

Daniel nodded. "Don't go too far…"

"Yes, Dad." The dancer retorted with a chuckle.

He walked a few yards off and began doing some basic stretches for his leg. Before he knew it, simple stretches had turned into basic ballet, and the sun was setting over the hills. He was lost in a world of dance, gracefully immersing his body in the art.

He heard the sound of footsteps behind him. He turned, expecting to see Daniel with a grave look on his face, indicating that the elders were finished meeting. "So…they gonna meet with me?"

Instead of the friendly face he'd been expecting, he found an enemy Jaffa. The staff weapon in the warrior's hands opened, in preparation for firing. Nick jumped out of the way as the weapon fired, hitting the tree behind him. As he fell, he heard a snap and pain shoot through his nearly healed leg. "Gah!" He exclaimed, trying to bite back an exclamation of pain.

The Jaffa aimed again, and Nick knew that if he were to shoot, he wouldn't be nearly fast enough to get out of the way of this blast. However, he managed to get himself to his feet before he heard chilling words.

"Jaffa! Kree!"

The voice was gravelly, and the demon that belonged to it was dressed in royal robes. The Jaffa that would have gladly executed Nick turned to his god. "Master?"

"Bring him."

Nick was almost paralyzed as he stared at the fiend, dressed in robes of gold and scarlet. There was something about staring evil in the face that made Nick's blood run cold. Suddenly, he knew that if he were to ever return home, he would never be the man he'd been before he left.

--

The scuffle was not lost on the members of the expedition, and Jack led Kinsah, Liam Harris, and Teal'c to see what the matter was. They searched the area surrounding the tent, but there was no sign of Nick.

"Daniel…" Jack said, urgently as they group returned to the tent.

"Where's Nick? The elders need to speak to him!" Daniel said, excitedly.

"Daniel…Nick's been captured."

"What?" Daniel asked, surprised. "That's not possible…no…"

"Daniel…we need to find him! Now, you can either explain that to the elders, or you can help us look for him…those are your options."

"Jack, the elders barely agreed to meet with HIM. Do you really think they're going to let me tell them that he's missing?"

"Then don't tell them that he's missing!"

"What the hell am I supposed to tell them then?"

"I don't know! Think of something!"

"Oh, thanks!"

"Daniel, I don't care what you do, but we've gotta go find Nick and keep him from getting into bigger trouble than he's already gotten himself into!"

"Right…"

Jack took the expedition members with him while Daniel turned around and knocked on the tent door. A servant of the council walked outside. "Dr. Jackson? Where is Dr. Kosovich? The council members are reconsidering their invitation to have an audience with him."

"I know, Hinjar. But…Dr. Kosovich was working on something that I believe that the Council members would appreciate…a…token of his appreciation for this meeting. He has gone to practice a dance."

Hinjar nodded. "I shall tell them. Wait here."

"Thank you." Daniel said, bowing. As he did so, he prayed that Nick would return quickly.

--

Kinsah did some investigating of his own and was able to pick up the tracks of the Jaffa that had carried Nick off.

"Jack, I find where Nik'las go...I track."

"Kinsah..." Jack sighed. "We have people that can find him more easily than you can. Just stay put."

The alien looked up at him, his jaw set angrily. "I can track better here...this _my_world."

The general returned his glare. "I'm in charge here, Kinsah...don't force me to order you to stay here."

Sighing, the alien turned away. Jack closed his eyes, only to have them fly open when Liam Harris hissed, "Kinsah! Get back here!"

Jack whirled around in time to see the trail of dust rising up behind Kinsah as he ran across the dry grasslands of Hanor. "I am going to KILL that boy!" He exploded as they followed him.

Once he came to the edge of the forest, Kinsah climbed up a tree so he could have a better vantage point.

"Kinsah! Get out of that tree!" Jack ordered.

"Find Nik'las!" He said, stubbornly. "Have training!"

"I don't care if you have the Queen of England held hostage…you follow my order or…"

Kinsah's face paled and in his surprise, he fell out of the tree.

"Thank you." Jack said, heaving a sigh.

"Nik'las taken."

"Taken where?"

"By foul ones."

Jack paled. "Crap."

Daniel ran toward them. "We've gotta get to the gate!" He yelled.

"What? Daniel? What'd you do?"

"I did what you asked me to do!" He yelled as they ran. "I told them that Nick was on his way…but after a half an hour of waiting they didn't buy it any more!"

An arrow whizzed past Jack's head, and he looked at Daniel. "They're firing at us?"

He turned and fired a few rounds from his P-90 before he was hit in the arm by a blast from a staff weapon, fired by the Jaffa that had accompanied the villagers, causing him to stumble and fall, his head landing on a rather prickly plant. The sap of the plant completely covered his face as it exploded from the force exerted upon it, and he struggled to keep from slipping into unconsciousness.

"Teal'c! Get the General!" Liam shouted over the fray. "Dr. Jackson, dial the gate!"

An arrow hit his leg as well, and Kinsah helped to pull the lieutenant up. All three grabbed their P-90s and began firing, Kinsah with a tiny flicker of hesitation in his moves. These were his brothers and sisters from his home world.

"Kinsah!" One of them called. "How can you side with these heretics?"

"They speak truth, Rhinklan!"

"You hurt brothers!"

Kinsah looked at the weapon in his hand, now pointed at Rhinklan. "I must protect…" He said, as he reluctantly pulled the trigger.

The young man fell to the ground, dead from the bullets piercing his flesh as the event horizon opened. Kinsah looked sorrowfully at the last of the contingent of native warriors, dead by his hand. "I sorry." He whispered, mournfully as a contingent of Jaffa closed in on their position, firing at the tiny band.

"KINSAH!" Liam called. "Let's go!"

Kinsah nodded, turning on his fellow men and returning through the Stargate with the off-worlders.


	25. Nick's Missing

_She walked down the lane, contently leaning her head on Liam's shoulder, much like she had done the last time she'd seen him. Their fingers were entwined and they walked silently through the wooded lane. They walked further into the woods, the tall trees thickening overhead, blocking the rays of the light. As they did so, she could feel him pull away from her, scared about the darkness overcoming him and afraid that he was going to hurt her by staying with her. "Bella." He whispered._

"_I'm here, Love." She assured, strengthening her grip on his hand._

_He continued pulling away as the darkness intensified. She could no longer see his face and was now herself wondering if she would lose him. "LIAM!" She called, praying that she would hear his voice respond._

"_I…I can't!" He screamed, his hand slipping out of hers from the nervous sweat running down his palms._

_She turned toward the sound and grabbed hold of his wrists. "I'm never letting you go, Liam, do you hear? NEVER!"_

She awoke with a start as she realized that she had fallen so desperately in love with Liam Harris that her heart would never be whole without him in her life.

And with her heightened psychic abilities-compliments of Nirrti's experiments on the Hankan people- she was terrified that one day, he wouldn't be there to hold her hand, that he would literally slip away from her despite everything that she did to keep him from doing that very thing.

She quickly dressed and went down to the SGC. She would wait there for SG-1 to return from their recon mission.

Several hours later, she was staring numbly into her cup of coffee and didn't sense Sam sit next to her.

"Something on your mind?" The Colonel asked, looking at the young woman.

Startled, she jolted and looked at Sam. "Oh…I'm sorry…I was just thinking…"

"I noticed. Is there a particular reason that you're on the base at six o'clock in the morning?"

"Been here since three." She admitted.

"Really? What's going on?"

"I like the drab décor and dangerous atmosphere." She said, almost trying to sound like Jack.

"Cassie…"

"I had a vision…kind of a nightmare, actually."

"What happened?"

"I was walking with Liam, and then…as we walked into a thicker portion of the woods, he started to pull away from me, afraid. I don't know if I ever got him back."

"Wow, that's intense." Sam agreed.

"I…I need to know that he comes back safely." She admitted.

"I know what you mean."

"I don't want to think that I have to prove that I won't leave him."

"You think that's what the dream's about?"

"Either that or it's telling me that Liam's afraid of the dark…" She said, somewhat wryly.

Sam chuckled. "I doubt that's what it means."

Cassie took a sip of the bitter liquid. "I'm afraid I can't reach him. I'm afraid that if we run into another storm on the sea that our relationship won't make it."

Sam studied her surrogate daughter. "I know how you feel."

Cassie's head snapped up from her coffee.

"I know it sounds weird, but every time Jack and I were in a situation that made us realize just how much we cared about each other, I kept asking myself how many of these we would be in before we were forced to admit that we could never be together. Fortunately, I never had to find out."

"But, Sam, that's just it…I'm afraid that I will get to find out."

"You know, Cass, as someone who doesn't have heightened psychic powers, I would interpret your dream as your subconscious telling you that you're afraid of losing him."

"That's crazy…" She said, trying to downplay the reality of her fears.

"Just a thought…" The wise woman said, watching Cassie with obvious understanding.

"Do you really think that's all it is?"

"I didn't say that was all that it was, but I can't believe that your dreams are much different than ours. After all, that IS what you're afraid of, isn't it?"

Cassie didn't say anything as Sam listed what she was afraid of.

"That he won't come back from this mission, and you won't have been there to hold him? That something's going to happen, and your relationship won't have the strength to stand up to it? That he doesn't really love you?"

Tears began to blind Cassie's sight as the klaxons began alerting the base: "Unscheduled Off-world Activation! Unscheduled Off-World Activation!"

Cassie's heart began pounding in her chest as she brushed the tears away. "Liam." She whispered.

"Cassie…you have to stay here." Sam ordered as she rose.

Cassie still stood, but nodded. "I'll be in the infirmary."

--

Sam hurried into the control room. "Are we receiving an iris code?" She demanded.

"It's SG-1. They're under heavy fire."

"Open the iris." She commanded, as she got onto the intercom. "Medical team to the gate room. Repeat…medical team to the gate room."

Daniel, Liam, Alan, Kinsah, Teal'c and Jack returned through the Gate. "Close the iris!" Jack ordered as the SGC began taking fire.

Almost instantly, the iris was closed as Sam and the medical team arrived into the Gate room. "Where's Nick?" She asked, almost instantly.

"He taken." Kinsah reported, a numb pain in his voice.

"He was taken?" Sam asked, surprised. "And you just left him there?"

"We didn't have a choice, Colonel!" Jack countered, harshly.

She looked at her husband and swallowed the tears that were at the surface. "Yes, sir."

Jack instantly felt bad. "Sam…"

"What time is debriefing, sir?" She interrupted, her face and voice emotionless, as though she was back in basic training.

"General, I need to treat this wound." Janet said, looking at the staff weapon wound that had adorned his arm.

"Not now, Doc…"

"No, go ahead, Janet…we're finished here." Sam said, coldly, as she turned and walked out of the Gate room.

Jack closed his eyes in frustration. "I can't believe that after nearly seven years of marriage I finally did that…"

"Neither can I." Janet said, a certain coldness in her own voice.

"Now, Doc, I can hardly deal with Sam being mad at me…so, PLEASE don't start."

"Oh, I don't have to…just wait until Lena finds out that you came back without her husband."

"Don't you think that I know that? Don't any of you realize that I'm beating myself up about it too?! Gosh…what do you think? That all of a sudden, my priorities changed when I started running this joint?" He got up and began to follow the route that his wife had taken, despite the fact that Janet wasn't yet done. But before he got to the blast door, he passed out from the loss of blood.

Janet hurried over, motioning for her team to join her. They got him onto a stretcher and into the infirmary.

--

Liam was taken into the infirmary, his leg having been shot with an arrow. The sight that met him was a pacing Cassie.

"Bella?" He asked, hoping that he wasn't hallucinating.

"It's me." She said, hurrying to his side and taking his hand.

"Wha…what are you doing here?" He asked as the nurse broke the arrow. He gritted his teeth as he squeezed Cassie's hand.

"I couldn't sleep. I thought I'd wait for you." She said, caressing his face as she tried to distract him from the pain.

"Why was that?"

"I had a dream."

The nurse pulled out one half of the arrow. "AGH!" He said, unable to contain his exclamation.

"Are you…?" Cassie began.

He raised a hand, to stop her as the nurse pulled out the other half. He gritted his teeth, but a low moan escaped his lips.

"What was it about?" He managed, trying to hold on to any bit of consciousness he could.

"What was what about?"

"The dream, Bella. What was the dream about?"

She swallowed. She'd been hoping that he wouldn't ask her that. "You know, I'd rather not talk about it right now."

"No, really…I ask because I had a dream about you last night."

"About me?"

He nodded as the nurse cleaned his wound. "I came home and I found you sitting on the living room couch…there was a little kid playing on the floor with some blocks. You said you had something…" He said, as the room began swimming. He passed out soon thereafter, and Cassie took a deep breath.

"Great." She muttered sarcastically. How was she supposed to tell him that she was afraid of him pulling away from her when he seemed to want more from their relationship?

--

Sam sat in the locker room, allowing the tears to fall down her cheeks. How could he have been so calloused? On the other hand, how could SHE have accused him of leaving someone behind?

She heard the sound of footsteps behind her. She almost turned to find out who was standing behind her, but she figured she would be able to figure it out. It was most likely Daniel or Teal'c as neither of them had been injured, but almost instantly she amended that statement. She knew it was Daniel. The footsteps weren't as heavy as Teal'c's. "What do you want?"

"You okay?" Daniel asked, walking further into the room.

"I'm fine." She lied.

"Doesn't look like it to me."

"I can't do anything about that, now can I?" She bit back. She was instantly contrite. "I'm sorry…you didn't deserve that."

"It's okay…you're under a lot of stress."

"I'm just so used to going out and being out there with you! I…I've had role reversal with Jack before, but…this is always the hardest…seeing him go out on missions and then staying here."

Daniel sat on the bench next to her. "Think about how Jack must feel."

"I do…" She insisted rather forcefully, but then, she let her voice crack with emotion as she whispered. "And that scares me."

"That scares you?"

"Because for a few moments, I'm envious and even resentful of his chance to go through." Tears slipped down her cheeks. "And then…something like this happens, and I'm suddenly grateful that I didn't have command of that mission, and…"

Daniel put his arms around her and hugged her, allowing her to cry on his shoulder. "Sam…Jack loves you. He really does."

"I know." She stammered between her tears.

"And even though it sounded like he didn't for a moment down there, he was just reacting to the stress of the mission."

She nodded. "I know that too."

It was another few minutes before Cassie walked in. "Oh…" She said, walking in on Daniel and Sam. "I'm sorry."

There were tears in her eyes too, and Daniel pulled away from Sam who was now wiping her tears from her face. "What is it, Cass?"

"Jack's…he's not doing too good."

Sam paled and hurried to get up. As she raced to the infirmary, Daniel studied his stepdaughter. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." She lied.

"Don't be like Sam right now…" Daniel said, closing his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose. "I know you're not fine. I can see the tears. Now, what happened?"

"I think Liam wants more from our relationship…"

"Like?"

"Like something more permanent."

"And that's a bad thing?"

"No."

"Then, why are you upset about it?"

"Because I'm not sure he's telling the truth."

Daniel's head snapped up. "How do you figure that?"

"I had a bit of a vision."

"Of course you did."

"I don't need sarcasm, Daniel." She said, starting to walk out.

Daniel hurried after her and took her by the arm. "I'm sorry…I was just…what happened?"

"You're not going to laugh, are you?"

"Why would I laugh? This sounds serious."

"He said that he had a dream where we were married and that there was a little kid playing on the floor when he came home to be greeted by me."

"Sounds like a nice dream."

"But I had a dream where he was pulling away from me when things got rough."

"Not a nice dream."

"Tell me about it."

"Cassie, I know this seems really strange, but…love is a risky business."

"Thank you, Dr. Phil. Believe it or not, I have already figured that much out."

"Would you let me finish?"

"Sorry." She mumbled.

"No matter how psychic you are, there're going to be things that catch you by surprise. You can't make everything turn into a happy ending, no matter how much you try. Believe me, I know."

She looked at him, and found a level of understanding she knew was there, but had never seen in his eyes before.

"You're talking about Sha're, aren't you?"

"Among a few others, yes."

Tears stung her eyes, though they didn't fall. "I don't want to lose him, Daniel. I…I can't lose him."

"That's how it always feels at first." Daniel said, pulling her into a paternal embrace. "But you eventually learn to keep taking every day one step at a time, and then you start realizing that you've gone through a few months without them. And…you start to realize that you're okay with that."

"So…I should just let whatever's going to happen happen?"

Daniel hugged her tighter. "It's hard, isn't it?"

She nodded. "Yeah."

"But everyday that you get to love them…that's something that can't ever be taken away from you."

Now, the tears fell down her cheeks. "Thanks."

He wiped the tears from her cheeks. "Now, go check on him. I'm sure he's waiting for you."

She smiled a sad smile. "Okay."

"There's my brave girl."

--

By the time Sam reached the infirmary, the flurry of activity around Jack had diminished, and she could see that he was sleeping peacefully.

"Sam." Janet said, noticing her entrance into the room.

"Janet, what happened?"

"His heart rate dropped unexpectedly, causing him to stop breathing. We did some basic CPR, and managed to get him stabilized."

"But it's nothing residual?"

"I don't think so. I think it had to do with the sap that covered his face, but we managed to get that cleaned off of his face, and so, I doubt that he's going to have any more episodes like this one. However, we are going to run some tests on the substance."

"Mind if I sit with him?"

"Go ahead."

"Thanks."

She sat down, and grasped her husband's hand in hers. She had let her emotions cloud what had happened in the Gate room, and now, she was waiting for her husband to wake up. She hated feeling like this. Like if she had only been more understanding and tolerant that something like this wouldn't have happened.

"I'm sorry." The man lying on the bed whispered.

"Jack?"

"The one and only." He said, squinting as his eyes readjusted to the light.

"I'm so sorry." She said, happy and sad tears mixing on her face.

"Hey, I'm the one who pulled rank on you. You were completely justified in being upset."

"And I accused you of leaving someone behind. I should never have done that."

"Okay, let's leave it at the fact that this was a stressful mission, and we both took out our frustrations on one another."

She nodded.

"So…how're the kids?"

"They're fine. Lena's with them right now."

Jack cringed at the sound of her name. "I don't know how I'm going to tell her, Sam."

"I know, Jack."

"I mean, he walked off, and then…If only he'd followed orders, this never would have happened!"

"Okay, Jack, now isn't a time to place blame…" Sam began soothingly. "How many Jaffa?"

"Sam, it's a fortress. We're not talking about a handful of Jaffa. If that had been the case, Nick would be here now…"

"A fortress?" She asked, sick to her stomach. She knew what it was like to be imprisoned in a fortress.

Flashes of Jack lying in a goa'uld stasis pod with Hathor's seductive taunting passed before her eyes. The symbiote burrowing into Jack's neck. Closing her eyes in horror as Daniel watched, a numb blindness to his sight. And after Kanan, Jack had been in Ba'al's heavily guarded fortress. If they hadn't gotten lucky, they may never have gotten him back…

"Sam, you okay?"

"I'm fine." She lied, snapping back to reality. This was not a time for flashbacks.

"You sure?"

"Just thinking…"

"When do you ever stop?" He teased, gently.

She flashed him a grateful smile. "Thanks…"

"Look, we're going to get Nick back."

"I know." She said, nodding in understanding. "We've managed to get our people home in one piece before."

"Against impossible odds, I might add." He said, wiping away her tears.

"I know."

"Well, except for Daniel…but at that point, he manages to die, ascend, and come right back again."

Sam laughed, and Jack smiled. "It's going to be okay."

"I know."

Sam held Jack's hand for a little longer. "I'm going to go and change places with Lena."

"Sam…"

"Jack, I know it's going to be hard, and I'm not disputing that, but…she needs to know."

Jack nodded.

"And unfortunately, you'll be in here for a little bit longer…Janet wants to run some tests."

"Ya know, I feel fine…"

"I know, but…your heart just stopped and you stopped breathing. You had us all scared."

He nodded, gravely. "All the same, I'd rather know for sure that she's not a vampire."

Sam chuckled. "She's not a vampire, Jack."

"But her favorite drink is the Bloody Mary, she doesn't stop at the number of tests a normal doctor stops at…and I saw a mark on Daniel's neck yesterday." He said, playing up his "suspicions."

"Jack…" Sam said, one eyebrow raised. "For one, Bloody Mary's aren't really bloody…it's tomato juice…Number 2, she's being cautious about what she's dealing with, and number 3, the mark on Daniel's neck yesterday was a hickey."

Jack shuddered. "That's what you think."

Sam chuckled and kissed his forehead. "I'll be back in a little while. I have to check on the kids."

He nodded. "I know. And I need to talk to Lena."

"Uh huh."

He gave her a sad smile. "Do you think I made a mistake?"

"What?"

"In coming back…did I make a mistake?"

"No." Sam said, looking at him, very seriously. "No, Jack, you didn't make a mistake. You did what you had to do…"

He looked down at the ground. "That isn't doing Nick a whole lot of good right now."

Sam placed her fingers under Jack's chin. "Look at me."

He brought his eyes up to her face, reluctantly.

"If you, Kinsah, Liam, Daniel, Teal'c or anyone else had been killed trying to get him back, Nick would have had your head. Lena's going to know that. So…you didn't do the wrong thing. Now, you just have to get well quickly so that you can lead the rescue mission."

"What made me think that I could lead this mission, Sam?" Jack whispered. "It's been almost five years since I was out in the field. Now, all I do is read reports, and…I just wanted to go back out there…"

"Jack." She said, silencing him.

He looked unwillingly into the blue pools of her eyes. He felt himself melt at what he found there: love, tenderness, and a ferocity that he had only seen a privileged few times in his life. He smiled as he realized that he drowned every time he looked into those beautiful orbs because her soul completely overwhelmed him when he looked into her eyes.

"First of all, field work isn't something that you just lose after a period of time…it's like riding a bike. So, regardless of how long it's been since you were out in the field last, you're still one of the best…you wouldn't be at the SGC if you weren't."

He felt somewhat heartened by that, but he wasn't sure what else she could say. However, that didn't seem to stop Sam. "And second of all, you are the most amazing commanding officer I have ever had."

He opened his mouth to protest, but she placed her finger over his lips. "And I'm not just saying that because you're my husband and the father of my kids."

"But Sam…"

"No buts, Jack…this wasn't your fault. It was tragic, yes…but that's what we do…and then, we do our best to minimize the casualties…Nick doesn't have to stay there forever, so…get better so you can bring him home."

Jack looked at his wife. "A pep talk? I thought that was my job."

"In a marriage, it's a joint responsibility."

He smiled. "Yes…it is."

"Now, I'm really going to go and check on the kids so you can talk to Lena."

--

Lena's heart raced while she kept from running through the corridors of the SGC. She was unaware of it, but she had held her breath while doing so…something that probably defied the laws of biology, but was occurring nonetheless…

Nick hadn't called. Nick hadn't called to tell her that he was safe…so he probably wasn't.

That was all that was running through her head as she went to the infirmary. She hadn't heard anything that Sam said after "you need to go to the infirmary," so she was expecting to see Nick's body lying broken on an examination table.

"Lena?"

She was keeping her emotions in check by the intensity of her urgency to see her husband. "Where's Nick?" She demanded.

"Lena." Jack called from his bed.

"Not now, Jack, I have to see my husband." She said, not even turning her gaze away from the doctor's face.

"He's not here."

It was as though his words had fallen on deaf ears. Lena's defensive stance didn't break for a moment. But as the words sunk into her mind, she felt her knees go weak as her exterior crumbled. "Oh god…" She said, sobs breaking free from the very depth of her soul. Janet and a couple of the nurses nearby helped her back to her feet and to the chair by Jack's bed.

"Lena…I'm…" He tried to console the sobbing woman next to him. "I'm sorry." He finally choked out. "He was taken prisoner, and…" He took a deep breath as he reached out and took one of her arms. "We're going to get him back."

She just nodded, still allowing the tears to fall down her cheeks. It took her a few minutes, but she finally, she calmed down enough to listen to all that Jack had to say. "What happened?"

"He was taking a walk to loosen his stiff leg. I swear he's as bad as Daniel. I mean, we go to Abydos, and Daniel gets kidnapped by this candy bar-eating monstrosity of a beast, and it drags us right to…"

"Jack."

He looked over at her again. "Sorry…trying to forget that we left him behind." He said, bleakly.

She nodded, trying to restrain the tears threatening to fall down her cheeks again.

"Lena, we're going to get him back."

She nodded, trying to tap into her reserves of emotional strength. "I know…but…"

"Lena, there is no but." Jack said, firmly. "As soon as I can put together a team, we're going back."

She looked up at him with eyes filled with despair. "But how do I explain to the boys that their dad isn't coming home right now? When their uncles Teal'c, Jack, and Daniel have returned…how do I tell them that Nick's still there?"

Jack composed himself for a moment before answering. "I don't know. But we're all here…and none of us are going to take this lying down."

She nodded as she placed one hand on Jack's arm. "I know. And thank you."

"Hey, you're family." Jack said with the matter-of-factness that this loyalty required.

"And that means so much to us." Lena said, thoughts of Nick's biological family in Australia, tearing at her heart. "Really."

--

Nick was taken to a chamber where he was strapped to a table. "You are not one of the members of SG-1." Aten said, staring at the dancer.

"Yeah, I'm a new character in the TV show." He said, cheekily.

"TV show?" Aten asked, as he motioned for the Jaffa standing nearest Nick, holding a goa'uld pain stick. "What is this TV show?"

"Nothing you'd get…you don't have cable…" Nick retorted.

Aten nodded and Nick suddenly understood what pain the goa'uld were capable of inflicting on humans when the painstick was placed in the center of his chest, creating a searing pain to course through his entire body while images of his brother's death haunted his mind.

However, instead of causing Nick to kneel submissively, the act proved to enrage him. "What the bloody hell did you do that for?" He thundered.

Aten was intrigued by the man's vernacular. "You do not speak like the other members of SG-1."

"That's because I'm from Oz, dammit!"

"Oz…" The goa'uld turned the name of this new place over in his mind as his long white fingers tapped his chin thoughtfully. "What are the coordinates?"

"No coordinates…" Nick said through gritted teeth.

Aten nodded again, and the painstick was placed against Nick's chest again, causing great pain.

"What are the coordinates?"

"Look…" Nick panted. "You've got the wrong person. I'm new to Gate travel…I don't know the coordinates to anywhere."

Aten sighed. "You are tiresome…and while you have amused me for a little while now, I am growing tired of your insolence."

He nodded to another of the Jaffa who pulled a symbiote from his pouch. "We'll have to take more drastic measures, then."

Nick paled. "No…"

"Oh yes…" Aten said, staring the dancer in the eyes. "And we will learn all that you know about…Oz."

Part of Nick was struck with the hilarity of the situation. On one hand, Oz referred to his homeland, Australia, but on the other, it referred to the mythical land from "The Wizard of Oz." He couldn't help but allow a tiny chuckle to erupt from within himself, and the goa'uld turned incensed as his eyes glowed a bright yellow.

"You laugh? You have not been told of the horror that you will be forced to view through your own eyes. You will see yourself mutilating small children, you will see yourself burn villages, and you will murder thousands of innocent slaves. And part of you will be filled with pleasure at the sight of such devastation while another part of you wants to close your eyes and retch up each and every memory until you die. And it will be the part of you that pleasures in such pervasions that will win, while you are powerless to stop it. You will never see your family again, and truth be told, part of you will be glad. Because to see what you've become would make them wish you'd never returned to be among them."

A chill ran down Nick's spine. "Lena." He whispered as visions of his wife came to mind.

Aten turned to the Jaffa with the symbiote awaiting implantation. "Wait." He motioned for another attendant to produce a cup filled with a blood-red fluid. The contents of that cup were forced into Nick's mouth and he sputtered while the bitter liquid eased down his throat.

"What the hell was that?" Nick asked, as the images that met his eyes were distorted in a hallucinogenic haze.

"That, my friend, was the Blood of Sokar." Aten said with an evil smile. "Did you enjoy it?"

"I'm sorry, Aten, but I forgot to tell you…I'm not your friend and I'm on a no-blood diet." Nick said as he collapsed to the ground.

--

_He walked through the Gate and he looked around the Gate room. That had been too easy. Only a moment before, he had been held prisoner in Aten's chambers._

"_Nick!" Lena cried as she ran toward him._

"_Lena…stay back…" He said, afraid of what might happen. However, his voice was gravelly like that of the demon that had held him captive._

"_Nick?" She asked hesitantly, stopping instantly._

_Jack and Sam arrived into the gate room and Nick looked at Jack. "Why am I here? Why did you let me come through the Gate?"_

"_Why shouldn't we?" Jack asked, one eyebrow raised._

"_Because I am a servant of the one true god, Aten." The voice within him spoke with overwhelming forcefulness._

"_Nick? What are you talking about?" Lena asked, a nervous smile on her face. "Stop acting like that, Nick…" She stepped toward him, but Jack pulled her back._

"_Don't."_

"_Jack, it's my husband!"_

"_No, Lena…he's the antithesis of your husband."_

_Nick lunged at his wife, pulling her into a headlock, and placing a gun to her head. "You breathe a word of this to anyone, and she will die." He said, his eyes flashing yellow._

"_Nick, you don't want to kill your wife…"_

_The more human part of him looked at his wife, his heart breaking in two. He fought against himself – Jekyll versus Hyde – as he tried to save her from the awful fate that awaited her in his hands. He would release her if it was the last thing he did._

_His whole body shook with the effort of the battle. His mind against the mind of another trapped inside his body. Horrific images were replayed in his mind over and over. Thousands of innocent slaves dying by one word uttered from his mouth, mercenaries running in fear from his guard…_

_His hold on his wife increased and he could feel her tears run down his arm. "Nick." She gasped. "You don't want to do this…"_

"_Nick, the Tok'ra can help you." Jack said, walking slowly toward him._

"_Take another step, and I will shoot!" He could feel his lips move in utterance of the awful threat, but he was as surprised as the rest in the room by the words that they spoke._

_Jack stopped for a moment. "Nick…you know that I wouldn't try to hurt you…"_

_Nick was still struggling to keep the symbiote from pulling the trigger on his wife, but a train whistle was summoned from the depths of his mind. In his surprise, he retreated for a moment. It was the window of opportunity that the symbiote had been waiting for. A single bullet entered Lena's temple, and she fell in his arms._

"NO!" Nick said, seeing only the sight of his wife's limp body in his arms, and not the evil grin of the goa'uld towering over him.

"Lena…please, darling…don't die."

_He had collapsed to the ground only to see her death through his own eyes. The look of horror was frozen on her face as her blood trickled down his arms. She had already breathed her last breath, and Nick wanted to die. He caressed her face one last time before he stood._

"Kill me." He commanded. "I've killed her…now kill me."

Aten looked at the dancer smugly. "Oh, that won't be necessary."

He nodded for the Jaffa to retrieve the symbiote again. The symbiote was feisty and Aten only smiled evilly in triumph. "He will suffer for his insolence."

Nick seemed to regain his composure enough to see the symbiote coming toward him. He tried to hit the arm of the Jaffa but the Jaffa counteracted, and before long, the symbiote was burrowing into Nick's neck, sending him once again to a desolate island of dreams.


	26. Somebody's Home

_I am Iandrum._

_**Who?**_ Nick asked as he returned to a state of semi-consciousness.

__

The symbiote that co-inhabits your body.

****

Ah…the goa'uld…so, why're you talking to me? I thought we were INFERIOR beings…

I'm not goa'uld.

He could feel the resentment that the symbiote felt toward him for comparing him to the demon that had just taken his freedom.

**_Okay…_**

_I am Tok'ra._

_**Oh…you're the goa'ulds that pretend to be good to us!**_ Nick said, mirroring Jack's own feelings toward the species.

He felt a shock reverberate through his nervous system. _We are NOT goa'uld! _The symbiote reiterated.

**_Okay…okay…sorry…didn't mean to offend!_**

_Yet, you managed to do so…_ The Tok'ra said with obvious disdain.

**_Ian…this is NOT the time to have a hissy-fit!_**

_HISSY FIT? You insulted my race!_

_****_

Okay, Ian, I'm sorry.

The symbiote waited for a moment as he cooled down. _Obviously that didn't go well…_

_****_

Ya think?

_Would you stop insulting the ONLY chance you have of going home?_

Nick was quiet.

_Thank you. Now, as I said before, I am a Tok'ra, and I'd rather not spend very much time in this dump either…however, you and I are probably going to have to wait a little while before getting away._

_****_

Why?

_Nick…think about it…if you suddenly disappeared, then we're both dead…_

_****_

Right…

_We have to build their trust._

_****_

WHAT?

_Nick…they're going to ask about Oz. Now, you and I both know that it's just a fairy tale land, and that Australia is located on Earth's continent. All you have to do is lie._

_****_

ALL that I have to do?

_Remember when you tripped down the stairs and you told that girl that you liked that you were tackled in rugby?_

_****_

All right…I see your point…I'm not exactly Mr. Honest over here…

_Of course not…and I would know…_

_****_

IAN!

_You think I'm going to apologize for taking inventory of your colorful past?_

_****_

You could have asked before you poked around…

_You could have looked at MY colorful past…and I'll tell you, there's some pretty impressive blackmail there…_

_**No thanks…**_ The dancer sulked.

__

YOU refusing BLACKMAIL?

****

How the heck am I supposed to hold it over your head? It'd be over my head too!

In a manner of speaking, I suppose you'd be right…

****

Thank you…

Careful about that ego, Nicholas. You know what Lena would do…

****

You mention my wife again, and I WILL pull you out of my neck and fling you around so hard that you'd be dizzy and then, I'd stomp on you until you were begging for mercy…and that's just for starters…

Okay…that was NOT meant to be disrespectful, but it is most certainly duly noted.

****

Good.

Now, listen! It's time for you and me to set some distractions…

****

Wait…I thought that it was time for us to make them trust us…

And if they catch us, we will…

Taking a deep breath, Nick arranged his features into a mask of careful neutrality as he heard footsteps echoing down the corridor. The force field surrounding his cell was lowered and Aten appeared. His eyes flashed yellow as the Go'auld came toward him. "Master." he said, bowing low.

As he was allowed to wander freely through the fortress since he was Aten's new pet, so to speak, he noticed a room where the Jaffa were entering and coming out with weapons.

_I think we should head that way._ Iandrum mused.

**_Excellent plan, Ian. _**

Walking over nonchalantly, Nick entered the room and surveyed it carefully. A substance packed in a small box made his eyes gleam wickedly.

**_Jackpot, Ian! Unless I miss my guess, that's gunpowder..._**

He could sense his symbiote's amusment. _And you already have PLENTY of experience with that, Mr. MacGyver addict!_

Smirking, Nick collected the gunpowder in a small vial and stuffed it into his pants pockets. He also took some other small weapons as well as some coils of a wire that could, in a pinch, be used as dynamite fuses.

_Let's make our escape memorable. _Ian said, almost gleefully.

**_I think either way our escape will be memorable, small one. Let's just hope that it's memorable in the way that we want..._**

--

Jack sat in his office, thinking about the last mission. It had been a disaster. But thanks to Jacob, the wounds he and the other members of his team had sustained had healed in a fraction of the time, and Jack was more than grateful for it. There was a knock on the door, and Jack looked up to find Kinsah standing there. "Kinsah."

"Jack." he said respectfully entering the room.

"How can I help you?"

"Want volunteer for rescue."

"Kinsah...I'm getting a team together, but...I'm not sure you should go..."

"I know land better than anyone." He said, stubbornly.

"And you have a young son who's just lost his mother. I don't want to have to tell him that he's lost his father too." Jack said, calmly.

Kinsah closed his eyes and rubbed his temples. "I have go."

Jack studied the young man who'd aged visibly over the last week. "All right. But you keep yourself from getting killed, okay?"

He nodded wordlessly.

"I have a few things to get in order before we suit up. I'll let you know when we go..."

"All right." he agreed, rising to his feet wearily.

Jack sighed as Kinsah left his office. It was going to be one hell of a rescue mission.

--

After receiving the message that General O'Neill needed him in the briefing room, Kinsah hurried down to the Briefing room where Jack sat at the head of the table, and the various members of the rescue operation minus Liam sat, ready to hear the rundown of the operation.

Sliding into his seat, he gave Jack his undivided attention.

"As you all are well-aware, the objective of this mission is to extract Nick. We know that there is an incomplete goa'uld fortress on the planet. Does anyone else have any observations?"

Kinsah hesitantly raised his hand.

"Kinsah?"

"Must be careful in way we approach...grasslands not offer much cover."

"Okay. Thank you. Anything else?"

"East wall not done. Would be easy to go in that way."

"Daniel, can we count on any help from the natives?"

The archaeologist thought for a moment. "Probably not...we might be able to get through without them coming after us, but I would imagine that's probably the extent of their help."

"Kinsah, do you think you could get through to them?"

He shook his head. "I am traitor. I have been banished from people. Only person who could is Nick...and he not here."

"Okay...so we go through and try to keep ourselves from getting caught by the natives."

"That's it in a nut shell." Daniel agreed.

"Teal'c, any estimation on how many Jaffa Aten has under his command?"

"I believe there to be in excess of 200, O'Neil."

"Harris, any ideas on strategy?"

"Well, like Kinsah said, the grasslands aren't going to offer us any coverage. However, Kin did outline the boundaries of the forest. They go right up to the South wall. It would be easier to go through the forest and then circle to the unfinished wall that way." Liam said.

"How many teams?"

Liam thought for a moment. "I would say stealth will be our best advantage so probably 2 or 3 at most."

"SG-1 and SG-3 it is then." Jack said, standing. "Gear up and be in the gate room in thirty minutes."

Various choruses of "Yes sir!" came from all over the room.

Thirty minutes later, everyone was standing, geared up, in the gate room. Jack looked up at his wife who stood in the control room as she leaned over the microphone. "SG teams 1 and 3. You have a go. Godspeed."

The others nodded and began filing up the ramp, disappearing into the event horizon.

Before going through, Jack blew a kiss to his wife who returned it discreetly.

Almost the moment he arrived through the event horizon, he felt a hand pull him from the steps of the stargate, practically dragging him to the brush at the edge of the clearing.

Kinsah was crouched low, his eyes sweeping everything carefully.

"What the hell do you think you were doing?" Jack whispered harshly.

Kinsah merely looked at him as a group of Jaffa went trooping by,

Moving smoothly, he went father into the forest, looking for any kinds of tracks.

Jack followed, signaling to the others that they were following Kinsah.

Suddenly, there was an explosion, and the Jaffa they'd passed stealthily ran by them.

Jack breathed a sigh of relief when he saw what he thought was the last of them run by.

"Jaffa! Kree!" One of the Jaffa called, his staff weapon pointed at them from behind.

Jack turned to see the Jaffa as he heard the footsteps of the other Jaffa. "Damn!" He grabbed his P-90 and fired, killing the Jaffa. "Let's go!" He yelled over the firefight that had begun as the other Jaffa fired on them.

Kinsah reached into his boot and pulled out his throwing knife, clutching it in his hand. He ran for the trail that would take them to the fortress.

A Jaffa leaped out of the underbrush and Kinsah cut his down without slowing down.

Just then, a twig snapped and the whole group turned, pointing their weapons at the brush. A figure emerged, his hands spread so that they could see them. "It's me." Nick said, practically surrendering to them.

"Nick?! How in the HELL did you get out?!" Jack sputtered.

"I set the explosion." He explained quickly. "But if we don't get out of here, we're going to end up back in there!"

Before anyone could say anything, Kinsah bent low to the ground and ran for the fortress.

Jack watched him in surprise. "What the HELL is he doing?!"

"Nik'las and Sauna are still in the fortress." Liam said, looking at the General.

"That boy is going to get us all killed!" Jack cried angrily as he turned to follow.

"That would not be wise, O'Neill." Came Iandrum's gravelly voice.

Instantly, Nick had guns pointed at him again.

"Hey! Guys! It's me!" Nick said, his voice normal again.

Kinsah crept toward the underbrush keeping a careful eye on the group behind him. He was going to go into the fortress and get his wife and son even though Jack had forbidden it.

Taking a deep breath, he bent over low to the ground and dashed forward.

Looking around the corner of the half finished wall, Kinsah crept into the room that he had seen Aten throw Nik'las into. "Nik'las! Sauna!" He whispered urgently.

"Kinsah?" Came the whispering voice of his wife, clearly worried.

"Come. We go now."

"Chained up. Cannot get out..." She said sadly.

Reaching into his boot, Kinsah calmly took out the lock pick kit Nick had given him and worked on the chains. He had them popped off of her in a few minutes.

She rubbed her hands, enjoying the freedom for a moment. "Come, Nik'las." She ordered, softly.

The boy came forward, wiping blood from his split lip.

She pushed him through the hole before she heard the voices of the guards. "Out of time. Go!" She said, urgently.

"No! You come too!" Kinsah said, tugging at her.

She used her other hand to pry his hand from hers. "NO! Go!"

Just then, he heard the voice of the Jaffa. "What is this?"

"I not tell you!" Sauna said, defiantly.

Kinsah winced as he heard the staff weapon open. He pressed his hands to his son's ears as he hurried to hide from the passing guards.

"Where is the boy?"

"I not tell you." There was the sound of a weapon firing, and he heard his wife's fatal scream.

Blinking away the tears from his eyes, he picked Nik'las up and swiftly began running for the tree line.

"Papa?" The small boy asked, whispering as they reached the trees. "Where Mama?"

"Mama is...gone." Kinsah choked.

"Gone?" He asked, his eyes wide with terror.

He nodded, hugging the boy close to him.

"Kinsah!"

He looked up.

He saw Liam motioning for him to join up with the rest of the group.

Swallowing, he shifted Nik'las slightly before coming forward to meet the others.

"What the hell were you...?" Jack began before seeing the frightened face of young Nik'las. "Where's your wife?" He asked, looking up a softer look on his face.

"We go." He said flatly.

"Kinsah!" Jack said, clearly agitated by the young man's belligerence. "Is she coming or not?"

"She gone!" He yelled. "She gone and never coming back!"

"SH!" The general said, looking up to see if anyone had heard the outburst. "Okay...let's go..."

Cradling his son, Kinsah felt numb and useless. He had failed her.

He felt Liam's comforting hand on his shoulder before they both ran to the tunnel that would take them to the Stargate.

The Jaffa were closing in behind them, so the team moved into high gear. Daniel, along with Kinsah and Nik'las were sent through the tunnel first with Teal'c, Jack, and finally Liam bringing up the rear.

As he descended into the darkness, Liam found his breathing becoming more labored. "Don't freak out Harris." He told himself firmly.

He could hear the heavy footsteps of the Jaffa and turned his P-90 behind him. He walked backwards, trying to cover them.

An explosion overhead rocked the ground around them. As dust and rocks fell, he could feel the beginnings of a panic attack coming on.

"Come on, Harris..." He heard Jack's gruff voice say as he pulled the young man back to his feet.

"Yes, sir." Liam coughed. Another bomb exploded very close to them. Almost in slow motion, he could see the tunnel wall collapsing. Throwing himself forward, he was able to avoid most of the debris but as he looked back, he could see the General was not so lucky.

"SIR!" He called, only able to see the man's leg through the debris.

Kneeling, Liam began moving rocks to the side. "Come on sir, answer me..." He pleaded.

"Har...ris..." Came the faint voice of the older man.

"Keep still, sir. I've almost got these rocks off of you."

"Go..." Jack said, wheezing.

"I'm sorry, sir." Liam replied shortly, moving the last of the rocks. "Nobody gets left behind on my watch."

"That's an..."

"There!" Liam said triumphantly. Picking up his light, he winced. The General's leg was obviously broken and was bleeding. Recalling his meager first aid, Liam took off his fatigue jacket and wrapped it around the wound. "I'll have you out of here soon, sir."

There was no answer from the unconscious man, not even a tiny moan as Liam moved the bleeding leg.

"Oh man." He sighed. Standing back up, he grasped the General under the armpits and began pulling him rapidly through the tunnel. There was a tiny glimmer of light able to be seen from the entrance. "Almost there..." He whispered. "Almost there..."

Another bomb rocketed the ceiling of the cavern. Liam dropped Jack's arms, leaning his own body over the injured man's head.

Looking up, Liam froze. The entrance to the tunnel had been sealed off. "NOOOO!!" He howled.

Losing the bit of sanity he had managed to hold onto, he began clawing at the rocks, pulling them down as he tried desperately to free himself from his underground prison.

He didn't register the sharp points tearing at his skin or the blood welling from the many wounds on his hands; he had only one thing on his mind: getting out.

There was a small explosion from the other side of the cave, and Liam turned to find Kinsah climb through the small hole. "Liam. Come."

Throwing himself at the hole, Liam clawed his way to the surface, curling into a little ball on the ground.

"Where's Jack?" Daniel asked, trying to give the man some space, but needing to know the answer.

"Behind...dark..." Liam whispered.

"He's still in the cave!" He yelled back to Teal'c and Nick.

"I will retrieve him." Teal'c said.

"No, Teal'c, you're too big." The lean dancer protested. "Stay on this side...I'll pass him through..."

Nodding, the Jaffa stood impassively as Nick slipped himself down into the hole. "He's got a bad leg wound." He called up.

"I will help carry..." Kinsah said, looking at Teal'c as he joined the Jaffa at the hole they'd made with a small blast from their C-4.

Nick carefully pulled Jack up to the hole, where Kinsah and Teal'c took hold of his arms and gently extricated him. Nick hopped out a moment later.

Daniel looked up over the top of the tunnel to find some Jaffa. "LOOK OUT!" He said, grabbing his P-90 and firing at the Jaffa, powering up his staff weapon.

Nick hit the ground, shielding Jack. Liam was in no state to fight, so he grabbed the man's P-90 and gave cover fire.

Within moments, all of the Jaffa were dead. "The other patrols will have heard the skirmish by now." Teal'c said, helping Nick up. "I will carry O'Neill...we must hurry..."

"Right." Nick said. Bending down, he gently scooped Liam up in a modified Jive lift. "He's a little heavier than Lena...let's hurry." He groaned.

Kinsah picked Nik'las up into his arms, and they ran toward the Stargate like their lives depended on it, and Daniel quickly input the symbols to get them home, and as the Stargate opened a wormhole, they heard the approaching warriors.

"GO!" Daniel cried as the sound of staff blasts began plaguing their ears.

Nick quickly went through followed by Kinsah and Nick'las.

Teal'c, still carrying Jack's seemingly lifeless body, followed Daniel through the Gate seconds before the wormhole shut down.

Sam nodded to Walter as she quickly counted the members of the team. He closed the iris, and she hurried down into the Gate room. It was then that she realized Teal'c held her husband's limp form in his arms. "Oh, God...Jack..."

"He's alive, Sam." Nick said quickly.

She took a deep breath to quell the tears before turning her gaze up to the control room. "Get a medical team down here immediately!" She cried, trying not to sound as desperate as she felt.

Liam was shaking uncontrollably in Nick's arms. "It's okay, Liam...it's okay."

Sam looked at the young man, and saw his vulnerability. She swallowed bile as she realized that in many ways he was probably worse off than Jack. Suddenly, risks that she'd calculated in her mind weren't so acceptable. "Call Dr. Mackenzie." She whispered to one of the SFs.

"Too...dark…not...enough...light." He managed.

"We're back, Liam...we're home..."

His eyes were wide, not seeing his surroundings. "Have...to...get...out..."

Janet had just run into the room. "Take him to the infirmary. NOW!"

Nodding, Nick jogged out of the gate room straight to the infirmary. However, when he tried to put Liam down, the young man clung to him. "NO!"

"Okay..." Nick said, holding the young man as he would one of his young sons.

Liam had a bruising grip on Nick's arms, as though he was afraid this one small piece of reality would be torn away from him.

"Liam?" Janet asked, her voice soothing.

The young man didn't answer; his eyes were still wide with fear.

"Liam, I need you to let go of Nick...I need to treat your arms..."

He was silent until she tried to pry his hands loose. "NO!" He howled.

She nodded to the nurse, who administered the waiting sedative.

Liam's eyes gradually calmed, but his knuckles were white from their death grip on Nick.

Janet gently pried his fingers from Nick's arms. "It's okay...we've got you..."

Liam nodded as he closed his sleep-laden eyes. She turned to Nick. "Thanks...you can go check in with Sam..."

He nodded. "Thanks."

He hurried up to the briefing room, and knocked on the door before entering.

"Come in, Nick." She said, from Jack's office.

"Thanks..." He said, nodding as he entered.

She stiffened as she felt the presence of the naquadah in his blood. She turned to him. "Will you excuse me for a moment?"

He raised a curious eyebrow before nodding amiably.

She got out of the office, and seconds later, two SFs came and took Nick into custody, strong-holding him and pinning his arms behind his back, forcing handcuffs onto his wrists.

"What's going on?" Nick asked angrily.

Sam walked back into the room, a steely look on her own face. "Take him to one of the holding cells."

"Sam!" Nick protested as the SFs dragged him away.

She sighed before sitting down in the chair and resting her head in her hands. Today had been a hell of a day...

Only five minutes later, she was standing in front of the holding room. "I'm here to question the prisoner." She said with another sigh.

Nick was sitting on the bench, his arms crossed across his chest starring off into space.

"I'm Colonel Carter...acting commander of this base at the moment. What's your purpose here?" She asked, harshly.

__

I think she means you, Ian.

He bowed his head and as his head came back up, his eyes flashed yellow. She stepped back as if startled, but she did so out of a mere precaution for her own life as well as the life of her unborn child.

"I am sorry that I have startled you." The Tok'ra began. "I am Tok'ra."

"Sure you are."

Nick sighed. "Sam, I'm serious...this is Iandrum...he's been a prisoner for a thousand years more than I have..."

She glared at the man. "You're not Nick."

"Then I guess we have nothing further to discuss." He said sadly.

"What are you doing here?" She pressed.

He bowed his head again and the alien was back. "My name is Iandrum and I need to make contact with Selmak." It said urgently.

"I don't know who you're talking about." She said, her features carefully schooled.

"Selmak of the Tok'ra...I know who you are, and I know that the host is your father, Jacob."

"You do, do you?" She asked, looking at the man standing in front of her with a look of defiance. "And why, if I knew Selmak, would you need to speak with him?"

"I have much to tell the Tok'ra council...I was sent on a mission many lifetimes ago and in order to preserve myself, I had to hide amongst the enemy."

She chewed on the information for a moment before she turned, showing no emotion and pounded on the door to be released from the cell.

Nick let his head drop into his hands. "This SUCKS!"

She walked out into the corridor only to be met by Janet. "Sam!"

"Janet!" The woman said, hope shining in her face. "Tell me you have good news..."

"Jack will be okay...he broke his leg, but it was a clean break. I've set it and stitched up his leg."

"Thank goodness." She said, releasing the tension she'd held as she waited for an answer. "Is he awake? I have something to tell him..."

"He is, but not very coherent."

"Okay...anything else?"

Janet's face became graver. "Liam...is pretty bad."

"How bad?" She asked, studying the doctor's reaction.

"He might never fully recover."

"Mentally..."

"He has claustrophobia, Sam..."

"I've already called for Dr. Mackenzie...hopefully he can help..."

Janet shrugged. "I honestly don't know."

Sam nodded. "Thanks."

The doctor smiled sadly and went on her way.

Sam released a sigh before she ran into Daniel. "Where's Nick?" The archaeologist asked.

"In a holding cell...he's a goa'uld." She told him, her voice cracking with emotion.

"No, he's not! Sam, he's a Tok'ra!" Daniel said.

"Prove it, Daniel." She said, angrily, before she reached the control room. "Send a message to the Tok'ra. We need to talk to them."

"Okay."

As Walter sent the transmission, Daniel looked at her. "Just remember the way he was holding Liam before you go condemning him, Sam."

Sam sighed as she walked back to the infirmary to sit with her husband. Her emotions were a mess, and she didn't trust herself completely right now. "Reynolds?" She asked, the nearby colonel. "Let me know if something happens."

He nodded. "Yes, ma'am."

She waved wearily to Janet who was on the phone as she walked over to the bed where Jack was lying. Then, she heard Janet's conversation. "Cassie, I need you to come in...I have some...bad news...leave the kids with Lena…"

Sam's heart felt like it was bleeding when she pictured the girl's response to the words. So many of the people she cared for were in the "line of fire", so to speak, and so many of them had been hurt by this mission.

Hanging up the phone, Janet sighed. "There are some days I really hate my job..."

"I know how you feel." Sam said, swallowing down tears. "I can hardly wait until I talk to Lena..."

"What? Nick's fine."

She shook her head. "He's a goa'uld."

Janet closed her eyes, feeling pain shoot through her as she recalled the man who'd brought such joy to their lives since his "induction" into the "family". "Do you want me to send Daniel back to your house?"

Sam shook her head. "I'll talk to him…and I'll call Lena…"

Daniel walked in. He swiftly headed to where his wife stood, and put his arms around her, enfolding her in a gigantic bear hug. She reciprocated the embrace, holding him tightly as tears misted her vision.

Sam looked back at the bed whereon her husband lay, and for a moment, she was envious of Janet's position. She, at least, had a husband who wasn't injured, she wasn't pregnant and in command of the facility, she wasn't…almost instantly, Sam's mind shot back into the proper perspective. Everyone was having trouble with this.

"You okay, Sam?" Daniel asked, not relieving his grasp on his wife.

She nodded as she swallowed down tears. "I need you to go and switch places with Lena…Cassie's already on her way down."

"You're gonna tell Lena about Nick?"

Sam nodded. "Somebody should…before she sees him…"

"Sam…I know you don't believe me, but…"

"I want to, Daniel. And believe me, if anyone knows what he's going through, it's me." She said, with a sigh. "But I can't let a goa'uld loose unless I know for absolute sure that he's a Tok'ra."

"Wait…I missed something…" Janet said, glancing between Daniel and Sam.

"Nick's claiming to be Tok'ra."

"Oh boy…" Janet said, recognizing the familiarity of the events.

"Yeah…and you thought YOUR job sucked?" Sam said, sitting beside her husband. "Try placing a friend under armed guard and listening to him scream your name…and do absolutely nothing about it."

"After the man who is now your husband did the same thing to you…" Janet said, softly.

"Yeah…" She said, taking a deep breath as she looked at her husband, tears welling up in her eyes. She took his hand in hers, and held it up to her cheek.

"I'll…be back…" Daniel said, kissing Janet quietly.

"I know. Say hi to Michael for me."

"I will." He said, nodding.

Just then, the klaxons went off, signaling an incoming traveler. "I'd better go..." Sam sighed.

"I'll let you know if he wakes up." Janet said, sympathetically.

"Thanks..."

She hurried to the Gate room, looking up to the control room for confirmation. "Receiving Tok'ra IDC, Ma'am."

"Open the Iris." She commanded.

A few seconds later, her father walked through. "You needed to see me?" He asked lightly.

"Dad!" She said with a sigh almost filled with a sense of relief. "Yeah...I need you..."

"What's going on?" He asked, his eyes focused on her.

"Kinsah's world has been taken over by Aten. He was exiled for blasphemy, if you can call it that...we recently received some intel that he's building a fortress, and we sent Daniel, Teal'c, Liam, Jack and Nick to try and talk some sense into them...Nick was captured...we sent a rescue, and now, Jack's healing from a broken leg, Liam's got a severe case of claustrophobia and Nick's a goa'uld...or Tok'ra...I can't tell...he says he's Iandrum..."

Jacob's eyebrows shot up to his hairline and Selmak took over. "Iandrum? Are you sure?!"

"He was asking for you." She said, focusing her sight on her father. "I thought it was just a ploy...you know, use the host's knowledge and get the rebel..."

"We have been searching for Iandrum for many years...we supposed that he had been lost."

"Well, Dad, I...I hope you've found him..." She said, leading him to the holding cell where the Tok'ra sat.

"Iandrum?" Selmak asked carefully.

"Selmak." Nick said, standing. "I would offer to shake your hand, but as my hands are quite literally tied behind my back, I am unable to do so...It is good to see you, old friend."

"To make sure it is you, I must ask you a few questions." Selmak replied apologetically.

"Like how when you were a mere child of 100 years, you got involved with Hathor...and it took you another hundred years- when you changed hosts- until they sent you out on missions again?"

Selmak narrowed his eyes. "Iandrum, we are NOT going there!"

"Why not? Would you rather I tell Samantha of the time that you were found without your clothes on by Garshaw, and nearly produced a new fleet of Tok'ra on your own?"

"IANDRUM!" Selmak roared.

Nick grinned before turning to the observation room. "So...believe that I am who I say I am?!"

"I guess so...sorry about all this."

"It's okay..." He said, shrugging as Sam motioned for the SFs to release his hands.

"Ah, circulation! It's a wonderful thing." Nick chuckled wryly as he rubbed his wrists.

"I'm sorry." Sam said, entering the room. "I've...I've been in your position before, it's just..." She took a deep breath. "We'll talk in the briefing room in a few minutes."

He nodded, stretching.

Sam turned to her father. "Dad, can you show him?" She asked, placing her hand under her extended stomach.

"Of course, sweetheart." Jacob said, smiling slightly.

"Thanks." She said, leaving the room.

She walked up to the surface where she met a frantic Lena. "Where's my husband? You found him, didn't you?!"

"Yes, Lena, we found him, but...I think you should hear this first..."

"No...I want to see my husband!" She cried, pushing past the pregnant woman.

Sam sighed as she hurried to catch up with Lena who headed straight for the briefing room. Nick looked up just as she walked in. "Lena..."

"Nick." She said, breathing deeply as she saw him standing there. "You're...you're okay...you're really okay..."

Before he could respond, she ran over and threw her arms around his neck, kissing him. "I've been worried sick!"

He hugged her tightly.

Tears threatened to fall down her cheeks as she pulled back and studied his face. "You're quiet...is everything okay? Everything's okay, isn't it?"

Sam walked in the room. "Lena, he's..."

He silenced the woman with the silent raising of his hand. "Lena, I'm...not who you think I am..."

She looked at him, confused. "What?"

He bowed his head and when he returned to his upright position, Iandrum made his presence known as he made Nick's eyes glow. "I am Iandrum. I am pleased to have met your acquaintance."

Her eyes widened as she stepped back with a gasp of horror. "You...you...you're not my husband!"

"Lena..." Nick pleaded, quickly regaining control as Iandrum relinquished it. He took several steps forward as Lena retreated some more. "Look, if you sit down, we can explain it to you..."

She slapped his face as he put his hands on her arms. There was a moment as she saw the hurt in his eyes before she hastened from the room, tears falling down her cheeks as sobs racked her body.

"Lena!" Nick called, running toward the door.

"Nick..." Sam said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "I'll go talk to her..."

His shoulders slumped.

"I'm sure she'll be fine." She assured. "Just give her a little time..."

"Well, that went well…" He said, sarcastically as he slinked back over to the briefing room table.

"Nick..."

He brought his eyes up to hers. "What the hell do you want me to say?! My wife slapped me and ran out of the room and I can't be the one to comfort her. How the hell would YOU be feeling right now?!"

Sam held his gaze steadily. "I had Jack walk out on me when I had a Tok'ra host, Nick...been there done that."

He studied her before sighing in defeat. "I'm sorry..."

"I understand, Nick...just don't shoot the messenger, ok?"

"I'm trying..." He said, bowing his head in pain.

Placing a gentle hand on his shoulder for a few seconds, Sam left the room to allow him time to think.

**_We're in trouble, Ian._**

_I know._

_****_

What are we going to do? It's not like I'm Harry Potter and can wave a magic wand to make everything ok...

_Well, we're going to start by giving your wife the space she needs...sounds like Sam and Jack can do more for your marriage than you and I right now..._

_****_

No kidding...

_There was a moment before Nick sighed. Well, if you're going to be taking up real estate in my head, might as well be friends, eh?_

_****_

We'll start by being properly introduced then. I am Iandrum of the Tok'ra.

_Nick Kosovich. Nice to meet you, Iandrum._

_****_

And you.

_Where are you from?_

_****_

A little of everywhere...and you?

_Australia originally, but New York City nowadays._

_****_

I've seen the images of Australia in your mind. It's beautiful. You must miss it greatly.

_Sometimes...and sometimes it's better to have left._

_****_

You miss your mother.

_Yes...and Thomas also._

_****_

It was an accident. His death was not your fault.

_All it took was one game of Battleship..._

_****_

Don't play the 'what if' game, Nick...it doesn't do anything except pull you down. Believe me, I should know.

_Yes. my leige._

_****_

That's better...the Tok'ra have LONG since forgotten my TRUE title!

_Don't get a fat head, Ian._

_****_

Nick...

_Yes?_

_****_

Just be quiet before you feel the most common tongue-lashing...and yes, I said 'feel' and not 'hear'.

_Uh oh..._

_****_

Oh yes...I'm connected to your nervous system...I wouldn't mess around with me, I were you...

_Great...you've got the power and what do I get? I get to be the house._

_****_

Pretty much...

_That kinda sucks..._

_****_

I'm just giving you a hard time...I won't subvert control of your own body...just borrow it now and then.

_Okay...and even then, advanced warning would be nice. Not always necessary, but nice._

_****_

Hey...that's the ONLY way I operate...

_Just yanking your tail, small one._

_****_

Okay...well, this whole blending business is making me tired...I think I'm going to take a nap, and as I notice that your adrenaline spike has worn off, you should too...

_Sounds good._


	27. Changes

Cassie hurried into the infirmary, only one thing running through her head: Liam.

"Cassie!" Her mother said, catching her before she got to Liam's room.

"Mom, I need to see him…"

"Cassie, I don't think this is a good time."

"What the hell do you mean? He needs me!"

"I'm not saying that he doesn't, but he's not himself right now."

"Mom, the last time he had an attack of claustrophobia, he was in the hospital after his father and brother died. He needs to know that no matter what, I'm here for him." She said, wrenching out of her mother's grasp.

"Cassie, he will probably hurt you if you go in there!"

Cassie stopped, then turned to face her mother again. "So be it."

"Cassie, I think he's suffering from some pretty severe flashbacks. Claustrophobia…any type of mental illness…it's grounds for unnatural behavior. What you saw in there was a man who was desperate, not only to get out of a small place, but also a man who would do anything to save the ones he loves."

"What?" Cassie asked, still understandably confused by the whole ordeal.

"When General O'Neill and Lt. Harris were in that cave, part of the cave collapsed. It would have landed on General O'Neill, killing him, but Liam shoved him out of the way. I'm sure you noticed that Liam had one arm bandaged in gauze and another in a cast…"

Cassie nodded, remotely, silently horrified by the details that her mother was able to give her.

"The rocks that fell landed on Liam's arm and Jack's leg. They were both broken. It was with this broken and unset arm that Liam carried General O'Neill after he had passed out. He tried to claw himself to the surface."

She sat, stunned by the reality of the situation.

"Cassie, he may have called your name, but I believe that he was recreating those images in his mind. In his mind, he was in a cave and you were going to die. He saved your life."

"Why would he do that?" The young woman asked, not entirely sure that she wanted to hear the reason.

"Because his mind wants to conquer this experience. Children stick their fingers in light sockets and keep doing it just so that they can say that they conquered it. They keep this painful memory recurring because they feel like they have to make it as though it never happened."

"That's not going to happen!" She interrupted.

"I know that, and you know that, but…Liam's sick. Mental illness is just that…an illness. Just like your immune system is unable to prevent disease when you are sick already, your mind has a hard time processing information when it's already trying to process such a large piece of data…"

"I can't allow you to…"

Cassie walked into the isolation room and was stunned to see Liam sitting perfectly in the middle of the room, cowering.

"Liam!"

He looked over at her. "Bella?"

"Yes, Love, it's me." She said, hurrying over to him and putting her arms around him.

He tensed, and she pulled away. "Liam, what's wrong?"

"Go." He whispered.

"Liam…"

"Cassandra, GO!" He said, shoving her out of the way.

She landed on the floor a few feet away. She looked at him, her eyes full of understanding. However, Janet could see a look of hurt and disbelief in them as well.

The airmen guarding the door split between restraining Liam and escorting Cassie from the premises.

"NO!" She protested. "I won't go!"

She fought the airmen, but as she did so, her wrist hit the wall, and there was a crack in her wrist. Janet, who had been watching from the observation room, hurried to the hallway. As Cassie finally relented to the pain, allowing the airmen to take her from the room, Liam, who had just regained a sense of reality, allowed his sight to follow her. "I'm sorry, Bella…I really am…"

--

While everyone else was dealing with the fallout of the mission, Kinsah had taken Nik'las to his quarters and gotten the boy cleaned up. "I miss Mama." The boy said softly as they walked up to the commissary together.

Closing his eyes for a moment, Kinsah pushed down the raw emotion that threatened to erupt out of him. "I know, Nik'las...I know." He murmured comfortingly as he pulled his fingers through his son's hair. The boy pressed closer to him and he rested a protective hand on Nik'las's shoulder. "You hungry?"

Nik'las nodded as they approached the line. Leaning down to hear the boy's whisper, Kinsah got a plate and gathered a variety of things his son wanted to try.

Sitting down, Kinsah helped Nik'las up onto a chair and showed him how to use silverware. The boy was fascinated with the food and even gave his father a couple of small smiles. Kinsah watched, eating very little himself. He didn't know where he was going to live and how he was going to provide for his son. He couldn't go back to Hanor-that much he knew for certain. Perhaps he would be able to stay on earth and learn the ways of the Earthers.

A flurry of motion whirled through the commissary and he was surprised to be pulled into a fierce embrace by Rihana. "You okay!" She said happily.

He pulled away and her smile faded as she saw the pain in his eyes. "Sauna not make it." He whispered, trying to keep his voice low enough so that young Nik'las would be spared further pain.

As Alan introduced himself to the boy and got him to talk, Kinsah took Rihana by the arm and pulled her away. Continuing his story in low, hushed tones, he revealed the story of what had happened to Sauna. His sister was rightly horrified but she surprised him by hugging him tightly.

"I know you hurt." She said quietly.

Clinging to her, Kinsah allowed himself to cry a few tears for the wife who had given him the marvelous gift of his son. She hadn't deserved to die like that and he would never forget, even if he tried.

--

Janet carefully bandaged her daughter's broken wrist. "I told you that this would happen."

"I really don't want to get the supreme lecture right now, Mom."

"I'm not lecturing…"

"Right."

"Sedate him, Mom."

"I've tried."

"I have to talk to him."

"Cassandra, I don't think that would be…"

"I'm going back in there. I'd prefer not to get hurt again, so…sedate him."

"Cassie…"

"Mom." She said, meeting her mother's condescending tone with her own steely gaze. "I love him. And just like you wouldn't leave Daniel when he had all those different consciousnesses in his body, I'm not going to leave him like this."

"Cassie, you may not have a choice." Janet said, trying to reason with her. "He may never return to normal."

"That doesn't matter, Mom." She said, hopping off the exam table.

Janet took a deep breath. "Okay…wait here…I'll get you when he's ready."

--

Sam found Lena sitting in the temporary quarters she and Nick had shared the first time they'd come to the SGC. "Can I come in?" She asked, knocking on the door gently.

"Sure." Lena replied listlessly.

Sam walked in and sat on the bed beside her friend. "So..."

"So..." Lena returned.

"How do you feel about this whole...Nick thing?"

Lena shrugged. "I'm not sure what to think..." she answered honestly.

"I know..." Sam said, supportively. "But maybe it would help if you just start talking...get it off your chest, even if you don't really know what 'it' is..."

"How did this happen?!"

"The goa'uld are a ruthless race." She said, seriously. "They inflict pain and suffering on their hosts without any regard for anything but the sick pleasure they derive from it..."

Lena looked sick at that thought before Sam continued. "I guess we should be grateful that Nick got a Tok'ra instead."

"I guess it's better than the alternative." she shuddered.

Sam swallowed as she looked at her hands, folded around her pregnant belly. "Do you have any questions about this? I mean, I have a unique perspective on this whole thing..."

"What do you mean?" Lena asked, surprised.

"I've been in Nick's position before."

Her eyes widened in shock.

"We were visiting a planet called Nassiya, and the goa'uld attacked. At first, we thought it was because of us, so we took the Nassiyans through the Gate with us. Before we got there, however, there was a man who needed CPR. I administered mouth-to-mouth and got a Tok'ra symbiote."

Lena took this information in slowly. "So...Nick's still in there?"

"Very much so..." Sam said, thinking back on the darkness she'd felt as Jolinar's host. When Jack had left her...

"He needs you." She said, quietly.

Lena sighed. "Give me a minute..."

"Take all the time you need." She said, standing. "But I have to get back to my husband..."

"I understand."

Sam stood at the door and looked over to Lena. "Things will get better...I promise..."

Then, she walked out of the room, heading toward the infirmary. With a sigh, she sat down beside her husband's bedside as he opened his eyes. "Hey there, gorgeous..." He managed.

"Hey yourself...how are you feeling?"

"Got a headache from Netu." He said, closing his eyes to ward off the bright lights of the infirmary.

Just then, there came the sound of someone screaming his lungs out.

Sam flinched and Jack turned a questioning eye to her. "Liam Harris came back suffering from severe claustrophobia..."

Jack closed his eyes as another scream came floating through the air. "LET ME GO!" The young man howled.

Cassie walked out of the room, holding her bandaged wrist as tears of anguish ran down her face.

"Cass..."

She looked over. "Oh...hi, Jack...Sam..." She said, clumsily trying to hide her injured limb, wincing as she placed it at her side.

"What happened?" Jack asked in a voice still raspy from the dust in the tunnel.

"Nothing."

There was a loud "thunk!" as something hit the door. "What was that?" Jack asked sharply.

Cassie paled as she turned and fled back to the room. "LIAM!" She cried hurrying back into the isolation room as Jack and Sam held their breath, hoping she wouldn't get hurt.

"Cassandra!" He yelled, flinging himself against the door again. "GET ME OUT! It's too small!"

"I wish I could." She answered, desperately. "But I can't."

"Please!" He begged.

Her heart broke as she looked at her mother whose stern shaking of her head reaffirmed her worst fear. "I'll do what I can..." She said touching the glass separating them.

Bowing his head, Liam let his bandaged hands slide down the glass. His breathing was becoming faster and more irregular.

"MOM!" She called. "Open the door."

Janet nodded quickly.

"Can't...breathe..." He wheezed, falling onto his hands and knees.

Cassie hurried over to him, placing her hands on his face. "Liam...look at me...you're okay...everything's going to fine...inhale...exhale..."

He lifted his eyes to hers and tried to focus only on her.

"That's it...now, inhale...exhale..." She said, exaggerating her own breathing to show him that there was air to be had.

Gradually, he was able to slow down until he matched her.

"See...you're okay..." She said, staring him in the eyes. "Everything's okay..."

He placed a gentle hand on hers, forcing her to wince from the pressure on her injured limb.

"Bella?" He asked as he worriedly, and yet gently, pulled her arm down so that he could see the cast on her wrist. "Did I do that?" He asked, his eyes sad.

"Liam...it's ok."

He started to sob, leaning his head on her lap. "God, I'm so sorry!"

"It's not your fault, love." She said, running her hand through his hair.

"Why? Why this? Why now?" He asked, vulnerably.

"I don't know...but what I do know is I'm not leaving you..."

"You probably should..."

"Liam Mackenzie Harris, don't you ever say that again." Cassie said fiercely. "I'm not leaving you...end of story."

He looked up at her, eyes full of a cautious hope before he forced himself to a sitting position again, and looked at her with a sad tenderness in his eyes. He gently caressed her face with a soft "I don't deserve you..."

"I don't deserve you either...so let's split the difference." She replied gently.

Tears misted over his eyes again as she pulled him close, holding him in her arms, trying her best to comfort him.

"It's too small here..." He whispered.

She released her grip on him, thinking he meant the embrace, but he didn't release her, and soon her arms were around him again. She turned an imploring look to her mother. "Please?" She mouthed.

Janet shrugged helplessly. "It's out of my hands." She mouthed back.

She closed her eyes and held Liam closer to her. "I will ALWAYS be here..." She whispered.

He clung to her, not wanting to let go.

She kissed the top of his head as she held him, trying to hide the tears that were fighting their way to the forefront.

"When can I go?" He asked, attempting to keep the childlike hurt out of his voice.

"I don't know..." She admitted. "But we're doing everything we can..."

Snuggling up to her, Liam rested his head on her leg. "I thought I wouldn't get to see you again..."

"That thought crossed my mind once or twice..." She admitted as well.

He looked up at her. "I just hoped that you would know how much I love you."

She didn't even attempt to hide her tears anymore. "I love you too."

"Don't cry, mia bella..."

She tried to stop, but a moment later, she was in his arms as the comforter was comforted.

"I'm here..." He murmured. She tried to speak despite her heaving sobs, but accepted the fact that was unable to do so and merely clung to him.

"Shhh..."

She inhaled deeply, managing to quiet herself, calming her heaving muscles so that she could relax in Liam's embrace. "We're going to get through this." She whispered, partially for his benefit but also for her own.

"Yes, we will...together."

She nodded as she looked back into his eyes. "Yes, Liam...together."

Looking around the room, he shuddered slightly.

She placed her hand on his shoulder. "It's okay..."

"Reminds me of the room I woke up in after Dad and Robert died..."

"I wasn't there..." She said, with a tiny smile.

"White and empty..." Liam whispered.

"Liam..." She tried to get his attention back to her. His gaze was far away, and she felt fear well up within her.

Tears stung his eyes. "I want to go home..."

"I know."

Jack appeared in the doorway, Janet hastening after him. "Harris..."

Liam dragged his eyes upward with a great effort.

"I just...wanted to thank you...I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you..." He said with a tiny hitch in his voice as he looked at his wife, clearly supporting part of his weight so that he could keep off of his broken leg.

Closing his eyes against the memories of the small space, the darkness and the dust that he thought was going to choke him, Liam nodded quickly.

"I just...if you need anything...let me know. Even if it's a place to stay..."

"Ok."

"Jack, you need to be in bed!" Janet said, raising an eyebrow in his direction as a couple of the male nurses took over Sam's job of supporting him.

"I'm going, I'm going..." He said, yielding his will to the men supporting him. "Napoleonic power monger." He muttered under his breath.

"I heard that!" She called behind her before she looked back at Cassie and Liam. "I'll see what I can do about springing you...if you manage to stay calm..." She said, compassionately.

"I'll try..." He replied despondently.

"I have some sedatives I'm going to put you on...that should help."

"Yay...drugs..."

She turned to Ria and nodded, having discussed the options with her. "I'll get you some water and your medication." She said, giving Liam a warm smile.

Nodding soberly, he leaned against Cassie. "I hate drugs." He confided. "I had to take a lot of them after the accident."

She took his hand in her uninjured one, and caressed it, looking at it rather than in his eyes. "We'll get through this...but we need to get a head start on the recovery...the drugs will help you out..."

"I know." He sighed heavily.

Ria returned, a small cup of water coupled with another holding two small pills.

Taking them from her, Liam tossed them and the water back like a seasoned pro.

"Thanks." He said, hoarsely.

"I'll be back in a little while to see how you're doing." She said, taking the cups from him.

"Sounds like a plan."

Cassie looked at her boyfriend. "That wasn't so bad, now was it?"

"No." He admitted.

She smiled, refusing to let go of his hand. "I didn't think so..."

Laying down, he subconsciously curled up into a little ball.

She sighed as she ran her hand through his hair, hearing and feeling his breathing start to even out as he fell asleep.


	28. Learning The Game

Sam stood up, stretching her back. These hospital chairs were murder on her back. Then again, she thought wryly. Entering her third trimester was probably also murder on her back. The combination of the two, however, was not pretty.

"Sam…"

She looked up to find Lena standing there, looking as weary as she felt.

"Lena."

"How's Jack doing?"

"He's asleep, but he's getting better…" She said, as the baby kicked. She rubbed her belly as she sat back down.

"How about you and Nick?

Lena rubbed the bridge of her nose, trying to relieve some of the pressure that was finding its place to the forefront of her brain.

"That bad, huh?" Sam asked, studying her friend.

"It's not that it's necessarily bad…I just…"

"It's okay, I understand."

"Yeah, you probably do."

"It's a big change. Just remember that he's dealing with a lot more than you can even imagine right now."

"Thanks." Lena said, preparing to walk away in her wavering emotion.

"Lena!"

The words had not come from Sam's lips, and both women turned to find Jack awake on the bed.

"Jack!" Sam said, reaching a hand to clasp his.

"Sam." He said, acknowledging her sacrifice to be with him, but the look in his eyes indicated to her that it was important that he speak with Lena.

"I'll go and see how Cassie and Liam are doing." Sam said, standing.

"No, you're fine, I was just about to go…" Lena began.

"Let me know how they are…especially Liam, will you?" Jack asked, his voice raspy.

Sam nodded as she left the room.

"Have a seat."

"Look, I don't want to tire you…"

"Lena, this has made me tired for almost fifteen years."

She was consequently shut up.

"Look, at the beginning of the program, Sam was taken as a Tok'ra host against her will, much like Nick."

Lena snorted in derision.

"What?" Jack asked, the usual teasing gone from his voice. He was completely serious.

"Against his will? I wish you could see him right now…he doesn't want to get rid of the damn thing!"

"Lena, imagine getting married…albeit unexpectedly…but more than just agreeing to share your life with someone, you share your mind, your body, your soul…you may not be able to bear parting with someone you know that intimately."

She turned, tears straining to fall down her cheeks. "Lena, he's got that plus some more…this symbiote has most likely blended with at least a dozen other people, and each time that happened, the symbiote shared and extracted memories. He's got remnants of each of those people within him. It's not just something that he can 'give up.'"

"So, you're saying that I just have to live with this?" She asked, surprisingly without resentment or any other derogatory emotion.

"Not exactly." Jack said, as he reached for her hand. "Sit down, please. I have to tell you something."

She did as she was told, allowing Jack's firm, though weak, hand to guide her to the chair.

"When we finally realized what had happened, we captured Sam and put her in the brig. I was asked to talk to her." Lena gasped and Jack shrugged. "Actually, ordered was probably the best term for what happened there. Anyway, Teal'c told me not to see Samantha, he told me to insult the goa'uld, and to realize that Sam was probably already gone."

Lena could tell that this man, whose emotions were normally rock-solid, was having a difficult time recounting the experience. He was close to tears.

"I listened to him…I…I left her when she needed me the most."

"You…you didn't know what to think." Lena replied, almost defensively. She wasn't sure if she was defensive for him or for herself.

"I thought the symbiote was trying to prey upon my weakness…"

He could still hear Sam's desperate voice. _"Oh God, he's telling you the truth! Please, Jack, no Jack, please, don't leave me, please, give me a chance! Don't leave me like this! Please!"_

Lena felt her throat constrict. It was so much like her own confrontation with Nick and…Iandrum?

"Lena, I left her after that. I left her alone when she reached out to me. And though I hated the Tok'ra for that, I hated myself even more. I vowed that no matter what, she would never be left like that again."

"Have you ever left her since?"

"No." He said, gazing at her with almost all-seeing brown orbs. "Don't make the same mistake that I did."

"I don't know how I can live like…"

"I doubt Nick will choose the symbiote over his own family, but you don't want to be the one to force him to make that choice."

"No." She whispered.

"I didn't think so. Let him figure what he needs to do…but try not to push him."

She smiled a weak smile. "Thanks, Jack."

He shrugged. "I've been there…Sam's been there…we're all there for each other."

"Thanks anyway."

"You're welcome." He said, a smile on his lips. "Now…if you wouldn't mind sending my wife in on your way out, I'd appreciate it…"

Lena smiled. "It would be my pleasure."

--

"Hey." Sam said, as she sat down in the observation room alongside Cassie.

"Hi." Cassie said, turning to look at the older woman. Tears streaked her cheeks and she quickly turned her head to hide them. "I just needed a minute."

"Well, he's asleep…I think he'll forgive you for taking one."

"I thought I'd be ready for this…I was ready for him to pull away from me, but I didn't expect him to literally push me away."

"Cassie, it was a flashback…he didn't know what he was doing. He didn't know who you were."

"I know…and that part, I'm fine with…but…no one seems to understand that I need to be with him as much as he needs me to be with him."

"Have you tried telling anyone?"

"Yes. My mother, and right afterwards, I got this…" She said, indicating her wrist.

"Ouch."

"And it wasn't even Liam's fault…it was mine."

"How do you figure?"

"I fought the airmen as they tried to take me away."

"Was this after Liam tried to shove you out of the way?"

"Yes. But it wasn't his fault."

"Cassie, none of us are saying that it is. What we're saying is that you can't sacrifice your safety for his emotional needs."

Cassie looked down. "How long did you sit by Jack?"

Sam was taken by surprise. "Huh?"

"He's awake, isn't he? How long did you stay with him?"

"I've been there since he came in three days ago."

"And now he's awake…"

"Yes. He needed to talk to Lena."

"You all stay around for each other, yet none of you will let me do the same for the man who means as much to me as your husbands mean to you." Cassie said, looking at her hands. "I know this seems too fast…and it certainly is if I take you, Jack, Mom and Daniel for examples, but…I know that I love him. And I want to spend the rest of my life with him…all he has to do is ask."

Sam didn't respond, sensing that there was more to her plea.

"He's not going to ask if he doesn't think he deserves me. And he won't know how I feel if you keep throwing me out of his room."

"You're serious, aren't you?" Sam asked quietly.

"Dead serious."

"I'll see what I can do. Okay? I'm not making any promises, but…I'll see if I can't extend the visitor's hours…"

"Thanks."

Sam smiled as she stood. "No problem. I know what it's like."

Lena appeared in the doorway. "Sam? Jack would like to see you."

Sam chuckled. "Back to the beck and call of my husband…just like that…"

"You've never been at Jack's beck and call…" Cassie teased. "At least, not unwillingly…"

"Hey! Watch it…" Sam said, a teasing gleam in her eye.

Lena hesitated as Sam left the room, and she moved to do the same, but Cassie stopped her. "You're confused."

She turned, somewhat surprised. "Yeah."

"I could sense that…" She said, a slight chuckle in her voice as she returned her gaze back to Liam.

"Well, it seems like you're not the only psychic around…" Lena said, dryly as she sat in the chair that Sam had just vacated.

"Nick'll come around."

"I know…but this is just putting a strain on our relationship."

"It'll take a while for obvious reasons…"

"I know…I just…I wish I knew when this whole thing would be over."

"It's just beginning, Lena."

"Huh?"

Cassie looked at the other woman intently. "I wasn't talking about Nick's symbiote." She said, simply.

"You weren't?"

"No…I was talking about Australia."

Lena tensed.

"No, he didn't tell me…I'm psychic, remember? This is really important to you."

"Yeah." She admitted softly.

"It'll take him some time. They symbiote may be able to cure physical ailments, but Nick's spirit is healing right now too…You'll know when he's ready to make peace with his past."

Lena just stared at Cassie. She had known so much…she'd understood their situation so well…

"Bella."

That one word, coming from the heavily medicated lips of the lieutenant in the isolation room forced Cassie to stand. "I have to…"

"Go." Lena finished.

"Thanks."

"You're welcome."

As Cassie hurried out the door, she turned. "Trust me. You'll know when it's time for you to take things into your own hands."

For some reason, those words chilled Lena to the very core.

--

He buttoned up his shirt with a somewhat dejected aura surrounding him.

_You know, you could actually talk to her. _Iandrum pointed out.

**_You know just as well as I do that she wouldn't even let me in the same room with her…_** Nick reprimanded his symbiote.

_Maybe all that matters is the thought…_

_****_

You don't know my wife!

_Yes, Nicholas, I DO know your wife…as well as you know her, and possibly even better since I have more insight into the life of females than you do!_

_****_

Well, if you know my wife, then I have gained insight into the life of females…

_You would if you would just open your mind to it… _The Tok'ra retorted.

**_I don't have time for this…_**

_What? You've got some place to be?_

_****_

You're a pain in the neck…ya know that?

_Thank you._

_****_

That wasn't a compliment.

The symbiote tapped into his nervous system and delivered a nasty shock to him.

**_OW! That bloody hurt!_**

_Want me to do it again?_

_****_

NO!

_Well, then…compliment accepted._

Daniel walked into the room just then to find the surly look on Nick's face. "Something wrong?"

"No, Daniel…everything's just fine."

"Wanna talk about it?"

"Not particularly."

"Come on, Nick…what happened last time you didn't want to talk?"

"Daniel…" He warned.

"All I'm saying is that your relationship with Lena is hanging in the balance again."

"And you don't think I know that?"

_You don't seem to…_ Iandrum noted.

**_Shut up._**

"Look…she's worried about you…and there's nothing worse for worry than closed lines of communication…believe me…"

"What? Have you been down this road before?" Nick asked, sarcastically.

"No." Daniel answered quite truthfully.

"Then stay out of it."

"Look…Sam and Jack have been here…and I've been on the side that Lena's on…"

"Daniel…I'm tired of this…you all are trying to help, but the cold, hard truth is that my wife can't love me with this snake in my head."

He received another zap from Iandrum. "Dammit, Ian! Knock it off!"

Daniel looked at his friend, sadly. "I never told you about Sha're, did I?"

"No, I don't believe you did." Nick said, sitting, somewhat resentfully.

"She was my wife…" Daniel said, wistfully.

"Your wife?" Nick asked, suitably surprised.

"I married her after the first Abydos mission. I stayed for a year or so with the Abydonian people for her…not that she had to twist my arm…" He said, a wry smile on his face as he remembered those days.

"When Jack and the rest of the team went back to Earth, after we killed Ra, we buried the Gate. But then I got curious…" He said, sounding almost bitter. "I had them unbury the Gate. Jack, Sam, Kawalsky, Ferretti, and the rest of the team came through…and while I was off, I don't know, bragging about what I'd found, Apophis came through the Stargate, took my wife and her brother, and killed a number of the Abydonians."

__

Apophis…that doesn't sound good…

****

What do you mean?

Let's just say…he likes to be surrounded by pretty things…

****

WHAT?

"By the time we tracked Apophis down, he had implanted my wife with a goa'uld symbiote."

Nick's eyebrows shot up. "A Goa'uld? Not a Tok'ra?"

"No…her symbiote was Amaunet. She mated with Apophis, and they had a child."

**_This story is just getting better and better…_**

_Hey, this is Apophis…I could show you images, but trust me…you don't want to see them!_

"A child?" Nick asked, suddenly, able to feel more of his friend's pain.

"Yeah…"

"Wow…"

"I hated what had been done to her, I hated the beings who had done this to her, but, I never hated Sha're. Just like Lena still loves you. She just hates watching you slip slowly away from her. Just like I hated watching that happen to Sha're."

"Thanks, Daniel." Nick said, standing up. "I'll keep that in mind."

The archaeologist watched his friend leave, unsure of whether or not what he had just said had really sunk into Nick's mind. For the sake of Nick and Lena's relationship, he hoped that it had.

--

Nick walked thoughtfully toward the elevator, hoping to get out and at least breathe some fresh air. The concrete walls were starting to make him feel like a prisoner. "Nick!"

"Sam." He greeted, curtly, as he remembered the look he'd gotten from her when she'd had him arrested.

"Are you okay?" She asked, cautiously.

"Why does everyone ask me that? I'm fine!" He snapped

"Probably because you're not acting like yourself." Sam said, honestly. "Usually, you would have a smile on your face, and you wouldn't be that curt."

"I'm sorry…I just got a…" He stopped. He'd been about to say 'snake' but he didn't want another shock. "I just got a Tok'ra symbiote, by no fault of my own, and my wife isn't speaking to me now!"

"I know how you feel." Sam said, sympathetically.

"You and everyone else on the base." He muttered under his breath.

Sam took a deep breath, steeling herself for the conversation. She took his arm. "Let's talk."

He rolled his eyes, but allowed her to pull him toward the elevator where she took him up to the surface.

She moved to sit down on the ground, and a glimpse of the old Nick returned as he helped her to do so. "Are you okay?" He asked, more tenderly than he had done inside the Mountain.

She nodded. "It may be difficult for me to move, but I'm fine." She said, a twinkle in her eye.

He chuckled.

"Nick, I do know what you're going through. Almost down to the last detail."

"Right."

"Have you heard about Jolinar?"

**_Why are all of these stories coming out of the woodwork now?_**

_Because you need to hear them._

_****_

That was a rhetorical question, Ian!

_Sorry, you need to specify these things, or I will assume that you're asking me something!_

"No. I don't think you've told me about Jolinar. Some…alien boyfriend that got taken as a goa'uld host?"

Sam took a deep breath as she looked at her hands. "No."

_You idiot! She is one of the greatest Tok'ra operatives we've ever had!_ Iandrum yelled at him.

**_You know, Ian, when you have information like this, it would be really nice if you actually SHARED it._**

_I TRIED!_

_****_

This is worse than having a blue with my wife!

_Hey, I heard that…and I am not fighting with you!_

_****_

Keep telling yourself that…now, can I get back to the story?

_Who's keeping you from doing so?_

Nick growled under his breath, winning a look from Sam. "Look, if you don't want…"

"No, it's Ian…"

"Ian?"

"My symbiote."

"Ah…"

"So…not an alien boyfriend." He prompted.

"No." She said, almost sadly. "But she had an alien boyfriend…"

A name drifted to the surface of his subconscious. "Lantesh."

She nodded. "Lantesh's host was Martouf." She said, with a sad smile. "Did Ian know Jolinar?"

_"Did?" _Ian asked, worriedly. _"She's talking about Jolinar in past tense…this isn't going to be pretty."_

"Yes." Nick said, as a sense of dread overwhelmed him.

"I'm sorry…she was killed by an ashrak a number of years ago."

Iandrum was silent as he absorbed the news, but slowly a deep grief came over him.

"How does this have anything to do with my situation with Ian?"

Sam swallowed. "I almost died alongside her."

"You were her host?" Ian asked, suddenly taking control of Nick, surprised to hear this.

"Yes. I was."

There was a moment of grief and then slight relief as both symbiote and host realized that Jolinar's death had saved the life of her host. However, Nick retook control of his body. "I'm sorry…he…"

"I understand." Sam said, a sad smile on her face.

"What happened?"

"The other members of SG-1 and I went to a planet, Nassiya, The people there were not very technologically advanced, but we were interested in developing a relationship with them. But before we could do anything to start trade, the goa'uld attacked. At first, we thought that the attack had come because we were on the planet, but it wasn't until after Jolinar took me as a host, that we realized that it had been her that the goa'uld were after."

"She took you as a host, like a goa'uld?"

"Yes. I was giving mouth-to-mouth to one of the Nassiyans, and Jolinar jumped into my mouth."

Nick gave an involuntary shudder at the thought of something entering through his mouth. He'd been lucky-if you could call it that. Ian had jumped in through the back of his neck.

_For your information, I didn't exactly want to do that…_ The Tok'ra informed his host.

**_What?_**

_It's kind of regarded like a shameful thing to do- entering your host through the back of the neck._

_****_

Really?

_To take a host honorably, we enter through the mouth._

_****_

The Tok'ra do that?

_Yes…what I did was very Goa'uld-like. And it was necessary, just like Jolinar taking Samantha…like her, I would have preferred to get to know you before jumping into you, and I would have rather given you a chance to accept or decline the procedure. But Jolinar kept her dignity by jumping into Samantha's mouth. I gave my dignity up in my haste to leave the Goa'uld, by jumping into your neck. For that, I apologize._

_****_

No problem.

_No, it is a problem. I have given you more reason to hate me. And you are more than entitled to do so._

_****_

I don't hate you.

_But your wife and children. They will not see you the same now…_

_****_

That's not your problem.

_It is my problem. Because you are unhappy._

Nick was silent for a few moments.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." He said, answering Sam's question.

"A little…reflection?" She asked, understanding.

"Yeah."

"I spent a lot of time after Jolinar's death thinking about her…trying to sort out her feelings and the memories that she had left me…even several years later, I had a hard time deciphering whose emotions were whose."

"I take it you met this guy…Martouf."

"Yes."

_"Oy."_ Iandrum said, understanding the depth of the bond between symbiotes and their mates.

**_What? What's oy?_**

_Let's just say you're not going to have that problem._

_****_

Thank you?

_Hey, be grateful…_

_****_

I am. Why won't it be my problem?

_I never had a mate._

Recognizing instantly how much trouble that would have amounted to, Nick sighed in absolute relief. **_Oh…I am ETERNALLY grateful!_**

_Hey, this has nothing to do with you._

_****_

I didn't think it did, but nevertheless…

_I know…_

_****_

So…what would have happened?

_How about you ask Samantha about her experience with Martouf…_

_****_

I'm not going to do that! It's private!

_Well, you're not going to hear anymore from me…_

"What happened to Jolinar?"

"Cassie was the one who discovered that I had a symbiote. She could sense the naquadah in my blood. She told Jack and Janet. They locked me up."

"Ouch."

"Yeah."

"Look, I'm sure they were just doing their jobs…"

"That's not where the story ends, Nick." Sam reprimanded slightly.

"Oh. Sorry."

"Jack was sent to question Jolinar. They were both equally stubborn. He didn't relent, and she didn't give anything up."

__

No self-respecting Tok'ra would have…even under the duress of torture.

****

Ian!

Sorry.

"When he turned to leave, she let me surface. I begged him to stay…" She began to choke on her tears. "He…he left…He left me…"

He put his arm around her. "I'm sure he did what he had to…if he had known that it really had been you, he wouldn't have…"

"I know." She said, wiping her tears as she pulled away from him. "That's not the point of my story…my point is that in my hour of need, I was abandoned by the man that I love."

Nick winced at her choice of words.

"I am trying to tell you not to abandon or be abandoned by Lena."

"I don't know how to do that." He whispered, staring at his feet.

"You're not the only one." A voice behind them answered.

Both of them turned to find Lena standing behind them. "Lena!" Sam said, struggling to get up.

Nick stood and helped her up.

"Sam. Jack was looking for you…an airman said that you and Nick had come to the surface…"

"Oh…Jack…I was going to go and see him!" Sam said, smacking her forehead.

"Yes, you were."

Sam turned to Nick. "I'll talk to you later?" She asked as she gave him a supportive smile.

He nodded. "Thanks."

He sat back down as she walked away. Lena still stood behind him, trying to figure out what to say or how to approach him.

"I know you're still here, Lena." Nick said, still looking ahead at the foliage spilling down the side of the Mountain.

"I'm not leaving." She said, defensively.

He turned. "I wasn't asking you to."

He patted the piece of ground that Sam had occupied only a few minutes earlier, and Lena approached him, sitting where he had indicated.

"So…how are you doing with this whole…Tok'ra thing?"

"I'm…I'm confused." He admitted.

"So am I."

They sat, watching the red, pink, gold, purple, and lavender hues of the sunset glimmer across the sky, silently getting reacquainted.

"So, how're Danny and Tommy?"

"They're fine. They're with Alan Barrows."

"Really?"

"Yeah, Daniel had to come for a briefing and so Alan and Rihana went over to stay with the kids."

"But Daniel's been primarily responsible for all the kids?"

"Yes. Janet had to take care of you, Liam, Jack and Kinsah, Sam was here for Jack, I was here for you, and Cassie was here for Liam."

"How is Liam?"

"Not good. He shoved Cassie out of the way when she went to visit him, and she ended up with a broken wrist. Janet's had to keep him on a low-level sedative so that he doesn't injure anyone else."

"And Jack?"

"He's been awake for the last hour or so."

"Kinsah?"

"He's just got some minor injuries…he should be fine in a few days…"

"Nevertheless, we're not the only ones whose lives have become a living hell."

"I guess not." She said, looking at Nick, unsure of where he was going with this.

"Do you ever wonder if it ever ends?"

"Excuse me?"

"Elena, I can't be the only who's noticed that every time we get involved with the SGC that our life becomes a hellish nightmare."

"Nick, what's wrong?" Lena asked, trying not to get scared by the way her husband was talking.

"Yeah, we have great friends, but…" He faltered for a moment. "Is it worth it?"

"I…" Lena said, faltering for the right words. To say that she was shocked was an understatement.

"I mean, Sam, Jack, Daniel, Janet, Cassie, Liam, Alan…they've done so much for us…they've sacrificed so much for Earth…"

"So have we."

"No, Lena, we haven't…This…this is only a token of what they go through on a regular basis. We get called and we come and play hero…I mean, this is the first time that a mission has gone wrong for me…"

"But the last time…"

"The last time it was my personal life that got in the way…"

"Nick, you're scaring me…"

Nick heaved a sigh and put his arms around his wife. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. It's nothing."

"No, Nick, it's not nothing…what's wrong?"

"I'm not sure I want to come back to the SGC. I mean, I'd love to work with everybody again, and I'd certainly love to see Kinsah and his family again, but…I don't think I can handle this again…"

"Well, I'm sure it's not always doom and gloom around here…"

"Lena, the next time you talk to Sam, ask her about Jolinar. Ask her to list all of the things that have gone wrong in her life…all of the times she wasn't sure she or someone she cared about would be coming back…she probably wouldn't even know where to start…and that's everyone…not just Sam…

"I mean, I waltzed in here five years ago, thinking that my life was so awful, and now, I realize that they have had their share of personal tragedies as well as intergalactic emergencies…I have two areas of my life that I wish I could rewrite…TWO memories, Lena…Jack, Daniel, Sam, Teal'c…they have more than that…in fact, I think they gave up a long time ago trying to count them on one hand…"

"Nick…"

"Lena, darling, since I've gotten Iandrum, I've heard TWO stories of people in this situation…"

"Jack and Sam?"

"No…Sam and Daniel."

"Daniel?"

He nodded. "His wife was taken as a goa'uld host."

"Janet?" She asked, her eyes widening.

"No. His first wife."

"First wife?"

"An Abydonian woman named Sha're."

"What happened to her?"

He looked at her, sheepishly. "I walked out on him before he could tell me the whole story…"

"You didn't want to hear what he had to say…"

"Lena, I thought everyone was saying that they understood so that I would talk, but…then I realized that they really did understand."

"So…what'd Sam have to say?"

"How much did you hear?"

"Not to abandon me or allow yourself to be abandoned by me…"

"That was the basic message…"

"I take it she was more successful in convincing you that she had a clue about what was going on than Daniel did…"

"Daniel chipped away at the wall…Sam broke it down."

"So, I have some competition for your affections." She said, gently teasing him.

"There is no competition for my affections. They're all yours." He said, brushing his lips against her forehead as he pulled her closer to him.

"I…I know…" She stammered. "I just…" She saw his gentle smile and returned it. "It's nice to hear you say so every once in a while."

"I love you." He said, kissing her lightly on the lips.

"I love you too." She said, kissing him more deeply.


	29. Sidetrips

Kinsah walked into Jack's office hesitantly. "Need talk to you."

"Okay." He said, looking at the young man. "Have a seat."

Sitting down, Kinsah looked at Jack earnestly. "Need go back to planet."

"Kinsah," Jack said, looking at the young man in earnest sympathy. "I'm sorry that you've just lost your wife. I understand the need to make that better, but...I can't let you go back."

"Have to try one last time to make people see..."

"Kinsah, I'm sorry. But I have to count your people lost. At least until I can make contact with my superiors and tell them about the situation."

"Are my people." Kinsah said, getting to his feet. Pegging Jack with a fierce glare, he added softly, "I thought as leader you understand that never give up on people."

"Kinsah, I do understand. But I'm the leader of this base too. I can't just send them into a situation that I know could be a massacre. I know it sounds harsh and calloused, but I have to keep my command's best interest in mind. And right now, it's to keep them home."

"Then I go alone."

"I'm sorry, I can't let you do that. You know too much about this base."

Throwing his hands up, Kinsah stalked out of the room fuming.

Jack sighed. The young man was impetuous, and he prayed that Kinsah wouldn't do anything stupid...like get himself killed.

Walking down to the gate room, Kinsah looked around carefully before sitting down at the computer that he'd watched be used. Using the keys carefully, he began punching in the coordinates.

"I'm sorry, sir, but General O'Neill made it very clear that you weren't allowed to touch the dialing computer." One of the airmen said, walking over to him.

"Oh...I sorry." Kinsah said meekly. As the man turned away, Kinsah smacked him in the back of the head and he dropped to the ground. Finishing his input, Kinsah pressed the button and high tailed it down to the gate room itself.

Sam, who was just walking into the Control room at the time reached for the microphone. "KINSAH! STAND DOWN!"

As the 7th Chevron locked into place, he looked up at her coldly and waved as he jogged up the ramp and disappeared into the event horizon.

"Jack!" Sam called, running up the stairs as fast as she could, hand on her stomach. "Jack! He's gone!"

"What?!"

"Kinsah is gone." She repeated.

"Damn his hide!" Jack roared.

She looked at him. "We have to get him." Her tone was respectful to her commanding officer, but her eyes were full of fire.

"I know."

"Who do you want me to call?"

"Teal'c, Daniel and Nick. I think that's all that it would take to extract him."

She nodded. "They'll be up as soon as I get ahold of them."

"Like I needed this today."

"We'll worry about what you need today after we get him back." She said with an assuring smile.

"Yeah..."

"I'll be right back."

"Okay." Jack replied wearily.

It was only a few minutes before Teal'c, Daniel and Nick were in the briefing room. "What happened?" Nick asked, instantly. "I heard it had something to do with Kinsah."

"He hijacked the gate and went back to his planet."

"WHAT?!" The Australian demanded. "Doesn't he know what Aten is capable of?!"

"You're preaching to the choir on this one, Nicholas."

"We have to get him!" Daniel said, earnestly.

"I know, Daniel...why do you think I called you guys up here? For a tea party?"

"When do we depart, O'Neill?" Teal'c asked, stoically.

"As soon as you guys suit up and get some weapons."

"Let's go." Nick said, heading out.

Daniel and Teal'c followed closely behind him.

Within only a few minutes they were awaiting the dialing of the Gate.

"Nick, I only sent you because I knew you knew the base." Jack explained in his last minute instructions. "I don't want you doing anything stupid."

"Yes Dad."

Jack the dancer a look that explained just how unamused he really was.

"All right people...let's go." Daniel said as soon as the gate was open. The three of them walked up the ramp briskly and through the shimmering pool to begin their journey.

Kinsah moved through the brush carefully so as not to alert anyone to his presence.

"He's heading back to the village." Nick said, knowing the young alien the best. "If we take a hidden pathway to the village, we'll find him."

"Okay...Teal'c and I will cover you. Lead on."

Nick crept behind the brush on his way to the village, watching for his young friend.

Kinsah heard something from behind him and turned warily to see what it was.

Nick held up his hands as Kinsah turned a sharp gaze toward him. "It's just us." He whispered.

"Go back." Kinsah hissed angrily.

"We're not going anywhere!" Daniel returned, his voice sounding hoarse as he whispered loudly.

Kinsah growled low in his throat before turning and moving swiftly toward his village.

Thinking on his own, Teal'c raised his zat gun and shot the young alien, fully prepared to carry him back to the base.

A cry went up from in front of them and Nick swore. "Somebody saw us!"

"Dammit!" Daniel whispered.

Arrows whizzed past them. "You and Teal'c draw them off...I'll get Kinsah." Nick said as he ducked behind a tree.

Daniel nodded.

Nick picked Kinsah up, but knew he wouldn't be able to outrun the pursuing villagers and Jaffa that were sure to join them. What am I going to do?" he asked himself.

Just then, an arrow ricocheted off a tree and buried itself in Kinsah's back. Nick's eyes widened with horror and he quickly laid the alien out behind some bushes and a pile of leaves. "Come on Kin..." he said softly as he tried to stop the bleeding.

The alien had just gained consciousness from Teal'c's stunning, and a look of pain was frozen on his face as he held his breath in surprise from the pain. "What...happen?" He asked weakly as his breathing began again.

"You got hit with an arrow. Just hang on." Nick said, trying to be cheerful. Kinsah was losing a lot of blood though and he didn't know how to stop it.

Kinsah's breathing became more and more shallow as his body began to give into the blood loss.

"Nik...las..." He said, mustering the strength to talk. "Tell...son...stay...with...r...ana..." He said, fading quickly.

"No, Kin, come on! Stay with me." Nick pleaded, his hands stained with the alien's blood.

His eyes fluttered open for a second before they rolled back into his head.

"Nick...open his mouth." Iandrum ordered.

"What?"

"Open his mouth. If we're going to save him, I'm going to have to leave you and go to him."

"Okay...but I ain't kissing him!"

"NOW!"

Nick opened Kinsah's mouth and leaned down.

The symbiote leapt from Nick's mouth and into Kinsah's, causing Nick to fall, unconsciously, landing on a rock that cut the flesh on his temple badly.

Burrowing inside Kinsah, Iandrum set to work healing the young man's wound.

Daniel turned to Teal'c. "Where are Nick and Kinsah?!" He asked, panicked as he shot another Jaffa only seconds from the Gate.

"I do not see them, Daniel Jackson."

"Something must have happened. We've got to get to them."

"I will provide cover fire."

Daniel set down his gun and ran toward where they'd last seen the two men.

Teal'c followed, taking out enemies as they came into his sights.

When they reached the clearing where they'd left Nick and Kinsah, Daniel swore. "Teal'c we gotta get them to the Gate. NOW!"

"I agree Daniel Jackson." Teal'c replied, picking up Nick, who was the heavier of the two and slinging him over his broad shoulders.

Daniel mimicked the movement as he picked up the younger man and followed Teal'c.

Once the gate was dialed, Teal'c and Daniel emerged on the other side with their injured charges.

"We need a medical team!" Sam announced over the intercom.

Kinsah groaned and his eyes fluttered open. "Where am I?" he asked in perfect English.

"Kinsah?" Sam asked, stopping the medics as she leaned over him. "Is that you?"

"Yeah...why?" the alien asked, then his own eyes widened.

"Dingo on a stick!" Kinsah said, stunned.

Sam's eyes widened as Jack appeared. "What's going on?"

"I have Iandrum now..." Kinsah told them slowly, his voice eerily having some of Nick's accent.

"Then Nick's fighting this on his own..." Janet said, looking up from where she was attending the bloody Australian.

Almost immediately upon her realization, she turned to the medics who had attended her. "Get him to surgery. Stat!"

"I'm afraid so." Kinsah replied, looking at his friend with a sad expression.

"I'll call Lena." Sam said, hurrying away.

Sighing, Kinsah watched them take Nick away. "Why did you do this, Nick?" he wondered.

"Kinsah, I'd like you to come into the infirmary. Just to make sure you're all right." Janet said, addressing the alien.

"Certainly, Doctor." he replied respectfully.

Janet looked at him for a moment, the strangeness of the sensation creeping her out before she ran the other way to tend to Nick's wounds.

Walking slowly into the infirmary, Kinsah took a seat on an empty cot.

One of the nurses took care of his wound while Janet and Dr. Warner, the chief surgeon, took Nick into an operating room to get a closer look at his wounds and possibly even attempt to repair the damage that had been done.

It was while he sat on this cot that Kinsah saw Lena hurry into the room, panic written on her face. "Lena," he breathed.

She looked at him in surprise and he cursed himself for the slip. "Get a grip on this, Ian."

Her eyes widened as she realized he'd spoken the name of Nick's symbiote almost identically to the way that Nick would have said it. "Where's my husband?" She asked, the blood draining from her face.

"Over there." he said, pointing.

The door was open, and Lena could barely see nurses and doctors running around the operating room in a panic. Lena began to walk toward the room, her heart beating in anxiety with each step.

Before she could reach the door, a nurse walked by and closed it, giving Lena an apologetic smile. Lena turned back, releasing the breath trapped in her lungs. "My husband's in there." She managed, weakly.

"I'm sorry ma'am, but you can't go in there...germs and all those lovely things."

She nodded numbly as she walked unconsciously to a chair. Seating herself down as she waited for the results of her husband's diagnosis. Not being a woman for any particular religion under normal circumstances, she was somewhat surprised by her sudden desire to pray...to whatever god was out there. To whichever god could save her husband.

Meanwhile, Kinsah was declared in fine health and released from the infirmary. Not knowing where to go, he decided to go get something to eat.

"Lena?" He asked as he passed her, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"I'm fine, Kin."

"I was just headed up to the commissary and wondered if you'd eaten. You know Nick would kill me if I didn't take care of you..."

Lena stiffened. "I'm fine." She repeated.

"Right." he replied, drawing his hand away like he'd been burned. "I'll be going, then."

She watched him go, her gaze confused, but steely as he left.

Sam walked in. "Hi, Lena." She said, sympathetically. "Any news on Nick yet?"

"Not yet."

"Something wrong?" She asked, sitting beside her friend.

Lena sighed. "Kinsah's got Iandrum now."

Sam's eyes widened. "Hoo boy..."

"Talk about ackward." Lena said dryly.


	30. The Dreamtime

Lena sat at her husband's bedside, wearily. It had been nearly two weeks of waiting, watching, and praying. She had spent all of that time at his side, barely even interacting with her boys. Her heart was heavy each time she looked at his pale face and the tubes that had gradually begun sustaining his life. She had gotten used to sleeping in the chair by his bed, and now, she wasn't even aware of the stiffness that her joints were experiencing.

"How are you doing?"

Lena looked up. "I- I'm fine." She stammered as she turned back away from Janet's concerned eye, as if she was trying to make herself invisible to the doctor's sweeping glance by hiding her eyes.

"Lena…I've been trying not to have to tell you this…"

She looked back up into Janet's pain-stricken face. "What?"

"Nick's gradually doing worse. He's stopped fighting and the bacteria are winning…"

"What?" She asked, no tears springing to her eyes for the simple fact that she had been crying for the last two weeks.

"His fever has been spiking off and on, and his vital signs are all over the place. Lena…" Janet heaved a sigh. "I think you need to call his family and let them know that this is the end."

She swallowed. "Thanks, Janet."

"Lena, I'm not telling you that so that you give up hope…I think he could still pull through this, but…at this point, I'm just trying to make him as comfortable as possible."

"I know…thank you."

Suddenly, they both heard a low moan come from the lips of the man in question. Lena immediately turned and firmly grasped her husband's hand. "I'm here, Darling."

"Mum?" The invalid whimpered.

She looked up at Janet, surprised. The other woman gave her a shrug.

"No, Nick, it's me…"

"Don't leave me…" He cried out.

"Nick, I'm…I'm not leaving!"

"Mum!" He said, squirming in a feverish haze.

"NICK!" Lena cried.

"I didn't mean to! It…It's not my fault!" He said, his muscles seizing up at the beginning of his seizure.

Lena stood, attempting to get out of the way of the medical team, but his hand was still so securely wrapped around her own that she was unable to leave him. She watched in horror as Janet's team hurried to take care of Nick. The pounding in her heart escalated as she wondered if this would be a fatal seizure. If he pulled out of this, she wouldn't wait any more, she would call Raddeus and ask him to bring Marie to Colorado. And her heart nearly stopped when she realized that Cassandra's statement had indeed come back to haunt her.

__

"Trust me. You'll know when it's time for you to take things into your own hands."

"Nick, please…" She begged, her voice barely above a whisper. "Don't leave me…I'm not going to leave you…So please don't leave me!"

At that moment, the team stood back as Janet announced. "He's stabilizing."

--

__

He was standing on the plains of Australia, the sun's harsh rays plaguing him with agonizing heat, making him insatiably thirsty. His face felt flushed and his throat felt parched, yet there was no relieving these symptoms.

He looked around him. There was nothing around him, typical of the outskirts, but the area was still too quiet for his tastes. But every now and then, there would be familiar faces that came and visited him.

The most frequent visitor was his wife, Lena. She was there right now, to be precise…but she wasn't the focus of his dream. He was there. The ten year old boy whose untimely end had tormented Nick for twenty years, Thomas Kosovich, stood before him.

"Tommy…"

"Nick."

"What are you doing here?"

"I can't come and visit my big brother?"

He looked at the ground at his feet, sorrowfully. "No, Tommy, you can't."

"Because I'm dead?"

Wordlessly, Nick nodded.

"So, what about Mum? She's not dead."

He stiffened. "What?"

Just then, Lena and Tommy disappeared, and Nick turned in desperation. "Lena!"

"Nicholas?"

He turned back around to face his mother. "Mum?"

"It's me…"

"No…it can't be…"

In the background the sound of a train whistle was heard. "Don't leave me!" He cried as though a small child again.

"I'm sorry, Nicholas…" She said as she disappeared.

He was so distraught that he didn't even notice Lena's return to his side. The tears fell down his face as the train rushed at him. "MUM!"

The train didn't stop, and now it was only seconds away from hitting him. "I didn't mean to! It…It's not my fault!"

He couldn't even remember feeling it hit him, but suddenly, he was on the ground in agonizing pain. "Nick, please…" Lena said, smoothing away the hair at his forehead.

He was starting to see the bright light everyone talked about…but his life hadn't flashed before his eyes…he'd only seen the horrific images of his childhood…

"Don't leave me…I'm not going to leave you…So please don't leave me!" He heard Lena's voice pull him back to reality.

Somehow, it healed a few of the stripes that had been plaguing him. "Lena?" He called, regaining consciousness.

There was no answer, but he could see the tears on her face, and feel the tenderness of her hand in his own hand.

For a moment, the haze around him began clearing up, the heat wasn't so unendurable, and the pain in his soul was manageable.

But just as quickly as the refuge came for him, the heat became stifling again, and his insatiable thirst returned.

"Thirsty." He mumbled.

Lena looked at Janet, who motioned to the water pitcher next to the bed. Lena brought a cup over, filled with water. "Drink this, darling."

For a moment, the sick man opened his eyes and put one hand on the cheek of his wife. "Love you…"

As he did so, he fell back into his feverish sleep.

Lena was torn between falling to pieces as this may very well be the end, or take it as a sign that he may not be as close to the end as she had thought. Either way, it was time for Nick to see his mother again. She wiped the few errant tears from her eyes. "Janet, is there a phone in your office that I can use? I…I need to make an international phone call…"

Janet nodded. "Of course."

"Thank you."

****

--

A few minutes earlier in New York City, Tony's cell phone rang, interrupting the lesson. "I'm sorry," he apologized to the student as he heard "You and Me" come from his cell phone, the music from his first official waltz with his wife. "It's my wife."

Susan Jacobsen nodded as Tony walked away, answering his phone. "Ria?"

There was a slight sniffle as she choked back a sob. "Tony…"

"What's wrong?" He asked, quickly.

"It's Nick…he contracted a rare, mutant strain of staph bacteria…" She choked on another sob.

"What?" Tony began, his heart pounding in anticipation and his mind swimming with confusion. "I mean…what happened, Ria?"

"I don't think we can do anything else…" She whispered, vulnerably.

"I'll be there as soon as I can."

"You can't go to the apartment," she sniffed. "The Real Estate agent is showing it this afternoon, and you don't have clearance to come into the Mountain…"

"So, I'll stop by the O'Neills…it's still the hub of activity, isn't it?"

"Yes."

"Meet me there?"

"I…"

"Ria…when you're officially able to clock out, meet me there, okay?"

"But…"

"Ria, I have no doubt that Nick is in the best hands when you're there, but you need to rest too."

She sighed. "All right…I'll be there. Just give me a call when you have a landing time, and I'll pick you up."

"Don't worry about it. I'll just get a cab. But go to the O'Neills' house and get some rest."

She sighed. "Okay."

"Hey, I love you." He said before she had a chance to end the phone call.

"I love you too." She whispered.

--

Tony drove up to the O'Neill house, nearly five hours later. He took a deep breath, almost wondering what he would find upon stepping foot into the house. He got out of the car and walked up the sidewalk to the house. Knocking on the door, he bit his lip. He hoped that Ria had taken his advice and gone over to their house.

The door was opened by Cassandra Fraiser. "Tony!" She said, the weariness in her eyes disappearing for a moment.

"Cassandra! How are you doing?"

She sighed. "In comparison with the rest of the 'family,' pretty darn good."

"I didn't ask for a comparison." Tony said, gently.

"Liam…was on a mission…"

Tony's heart stopped. Had the young man fallen in the line of duty? Had he taken Cassandra's heart with him?

"He's still suffering from severe claustrophobia."

"But he's alive, right?"

She nodded. "But he's…he's different. Very withdrawn, very quiet. Certainly quite a bit more sober."

He laid a hand on her shoulder. "He'll be all right."

She bit her lip as tears moistened her eyes. "I certainly hope so."

"Is my wife here?"

She nodded. "She's asleep in Nick and Lena's room."

Tony nodded. "Mind if I go in?"

"She's YOUR wife." She said, a token teasing gleam in her eye again.

Tony chuckled. "Thanks for side-stepping the question."

"Anytime."

He walked into the bedroom, where Ria lay, sprawled out on the Queen-sized bed. Tony walked over, and lay beside her, running his hands through her hair. She didn't awaken, and in that instant, he realized that this was most likely the first time that she had slept for any substantial amount of time. With his own long travel day, he placed his arms around his wife, closing his eyes and falling asleep.

When they awoke, he thought to himself, they would talk about what was going on, and how he could help.

--

Kinsah stood in the hallway, watching Lena as she sat by Nick's side. He felt concerned for her, but at the same time, he knew it was far beyond that of a normal friend. Sighing, he rubbed his temples. She hadn't eaten in a couple of days and she needed to keep her strength up. Entering the infirmary, he walked over. "Lena? You need to eat something." he said softly, painfully aware that his voice still carried some tinges of Nick's homeland in it.

"I'm fine." She said, wearily, as she ran her hand through her hair, one hand still holding Nick's as she did so.

"You have to get your strength up or Janet will toss you out on your arse."

Stopping dead in her tracks, she turned her head slowly, staring at the younger man.

"What?"

She shook her head. She was tired. He didn't sound like Nick. He wasn't acting like Nick. IT was just her imagination. "Nothing. I'd just like to be left alone."

"Right." he said, nodding his head to her respectfully.

She sighed as she closed her eyes, willing herself to get at least a nap while she waited for Nick to get well.

Retreating rapidly, Kinsah shut himself in his quarters and took a seat on his bed. He had to get a grip before he made things really uncomfortable for Lena. **_Ian, we've got to do something here..._**

_I wish I could tell you what to do. _The alien said, matter-of-factly.

**_I know...maybe we could try modifying my voice slightly or something._**

_It's not just your voice that's messing with her, Kin._

_**Then we change everything.**_ Kinsah replied grimly.

__

I can't guarantee anything, Kin. It's not like I can just make adjustments in your brain and change the very essence of who you and I are!

****

I know that Ian.

And yet, you're asking me to do the impossible...

**You're the almighty Ian!**

The Tok'ra sighed. _No, Kin, I'm not._

Pulling out a laptop someone loaned him, Kinsah fired up LimeWire, a half baked plan in his head.

_What are you doing?_

_****_

A little research.

_On what?_

_**Stuff.**_ Kinsah replied absentmindedly as he began downloading television shows from various countries.

The Tok'ra sighed as he prepared to sleep.

**_Rockabye Ian, asleep in my brain..._** Kinsah sang softly in his head.

__

Keep that up and I think I may have to inflict some kind of torture on you!

****

Seesh...everybody's a critic.

--

A few hours later, Lena awoke to the pungent smell of borscht under her nose.

"Lunch?" Kinsah offered.

"Kinsah?" She asked, surprised as she tried open her eyes more widely.

"Hi."

"What are you doing here?"

"Since you won't eat, Janet allowed me to try something else. You really WILL get tossed out on your arse soon so I figured I would bring lunch to you."

"Okay...but how'd you get borscht?" She asked, confused.

"I made it."

She froze, blinking as she stared at the alien. "YOU made it?"

"Behold the power of Google."

"Fine." She sighed. "I'll eat."

"Finally!"

She took a few bites of the dish, her eyes still focused on her husband's. "You know...Nick hates this stuff." She whispered, softly. "Always said that the smell could raise the dead."

"Yeah...well he has a point. That smell's not exactly a beaut!"

She put the bowl aside, her senses warning her that something wasn't right. "Well...I've got my lunch. Now you can go."

"Are you cheesed off at me?"

"Stop that." She said, her voice becoming a little brusque.

"Okay, okay, I'm doing. Don't have to chuck a spaz over it." Kinsah said, shaking his head as he turned neatly on his heel.

Leaning against the back of her chair, she placed a hand over her eyes.

Reaching his quarters once again, Kinsah watched a load of television shows from New Zealand. The accent was somewhat similar to Australian, but different enough that the ear could detect it. After watching the shows a few times, Kinsah began imitating their speech slowly.

Meanwhile, Janet walked over to Lena. "How are you doing?" She asked, looking over at her.

"Just peachy."

"What's wrong?"

"Kinsah's sounding - and acting - a lot like Nick."

Janet sighed. "Well, whether we like it or not, it's one of the side effects of these kinds of blendings."

"I probably shouldn't have snapped at him." Lena sighed. "It's not like he asked for this."

"But you're right. It's...awkward."

"Oh yeah."

"Why don't I see if I can't run a little interference, okay?"

"That would be great."

"But finish up that food...I understand borscht isn't that great when it's cold."

Lena chuckled softly and ate the soup. It was surprisingly good.

--

Kinsah walked into the infirmary a little while later, hoping that his new accent would make things go a little more smoothly with Lena.

"Hi." He said slowly.

"Hi." She said, softly, trying desperately to give him another chance.

"Was the soup all right? I tried to give it a fair go."

"It was fine. Thank you."

"Good." He said, still speaking somewhat slowly as his tongue had to rearrange itself to accomdate the Kiwi accent he was going for.

"How's Nik'las?"

"He's still a bit knackered from everything that's happened."

"He'll be okay. Kids are resilient."

Kinsah sighed. "When he's not sad, he's brassed off at me."

"Nick, he'll..." She closed her eyes in huniliation as she stopped herself, realizing the implications of what she'd been about to say.

Kinsah eyed her. "Well, I'd better get my a into g, so tata for now."

She didn't answer, looking away.

Rushing out the door, Kinsah silently vowed to never to go back in that room.

Lena allowed a single tear to slip down her cheek as she looked at her husband's lifeless body. Hugging him as she willed him to wake up, she felt his heart beat weakly inside his chest. "Forgive me, Darling. It's just so hard." She whispered, her voice trembling in his ear.

He, of course, was silent.


	31. Lingering On

For two weeks, Raddeus hadn't been able to shake a feeling of foreboding that had overcome him. It had driven him nearly to distraction with his constant diving for the telephone for news of anyone close to him, particularly his brother, Nick.

He and Nick had been there for one another through the tough times more than just ordinary brothers and sisters would have. They had almost a psychic connection, and when one was drastically ill, depressed or ecstatic, the other could sense it. And this was one of those times…but it wasn't a moment of ecstasy, it was a moment of physical pain and suffering. Somehow, he knew that Nick was gravely ill.

"Rad, are you okay?" Sariah asked, after her husband had dived for the phone once again, only to find that it was a telemarketer.

He sighed. "Ever since Nick and I were kids, we always had this...sixth sense about each other. We could tell when we were happy, sad or sick...and I've just got this feeling that something's wrong with Nick..."

"Do you want to call him?"

"I've already tried...it seems like they're not in New York right now. All Tony Dovolani was able to tell me is that he's in Colorado on some kind of freelancing assignment."

Rising to his feet, Raddeus paced the floor as 12 year old Nick the Second came into the room. "Hey Dad, have you heard from Uncle Nick?"

"No...why do you ask?" Raddeus questioned curiously.

Nick looked his father in the eye, calmly. "Something's happened to Uncle Nick."

Before Raddeus could answer this statement, the phone rang. He raced over and picked it up. "Hello?" He asked, almost fearing the response.

"Raddeus?" Lena asked, praying that her voice sounded steady.

"Lena! What happened...how's Nick?"

She drew a sharp breath. "How did you know?"

"It's something we've had since we were kids...something's wrong...I can feel it..."

"He's..." She paused to take a breath. By saying something to Raddeus, she was admitting that her greatest fear was indeed happening: Nick was dying. "He's not doing so good..."

Raddeus closed his eyes and Sariah's heart almost broke as a look of agony crossed her husband's face. "What can I do?" He choked out.

Lena bit her lip before answering. "He's...been calling for your mother..."

"I'll go get her and be on my way as soon as I can...it's been long enough since they've seen each other." He said quickly.

"We're in Colorado Springs right now. I'll have someone meet you at Denver International."

"Well, Mum and I will be catching the first flight out of here as soon as we possibly can." He said, urgently.

"Thank you."

"No need to thank me. I'll see you in a day or so…"

Raddeus hung up the phone and turned to face his wife and eldest son. "I have to go get my mother...Nick is very sick."

"Go...we'll follow you in a couple days." Sariah told him, embracing him. He clung to her for a long moment before walking over and also hugging his sons.

Hunting around for his shoes, Raddeus pulled them out and ran out the door to his car. He climbed in and headed for Perth, driving well over the speed limit.

--

Marie Kosovich was puttering around her house, a similar sense of foreboding overwhelming her. She, however, had become accustomed to ignoring the feeling and going on with life. After all, Raddeus was safe, and Nicholas wasn't speaking to her. This was the source of her perennial foreboding.

It was as if someone had driven a stake into her heart as she remembered the son who had pulled away from her at the death of his brother.

The door opened to reveal a frantic-looking Raddeus. "Mum!"

"Raddeus, what's the matter?"

"Nick. Let's go."

Her eyes widened. While her nonexistent relationship with Nicholas was always a touchy subject, Raddeus didn't mention him unless it was to put his mother's fears to rest. This, however, did not seem to be the case.

"What's the matter with Nicholas?"

"He's gravely ill; I can fill you in on our way to the airport."

Without asking any further questions, Marie flew upstairs to fling some clothes into a suitcase before meeting her son back in the living room a couple minutes later.

He tossed the suitcase into the backseat of his car and they drove off, Marie slightly alarmed by how fast Raddeus was driving, but one look at his tensed hands clenching the steering wheel told her that he had a good reason for the haste.

"What is going on, Raddeus?" She asked gently.

He sighed, and made a right hand turn into Perth International Airport. "For the past two weeks, I had the feeling that something was wrong with Nick. Lena called me tonight and told me that he's really sick; that he could die."

Tears welled up in Marie's eyes and all she could ask was, "How?"

Raddeus shrugged helplessly. "I didn't ask. All I know is that he's asking for you."

--

Back in Colorado Springs, Lena hung up the phone, ironically having a burden lifted from her shoulders. She turned to Janet. "Is there any way that Daniel could meet Raddeus and Marie at Denver International tomorrow?"

"Of course." Janet said, with a supportive smile.

"Thank you."

She looked back at her husband's bed. "I don't want him to die, but...part of me can't keep living like this..." Lena finally admitted.

"It's hard." Janet acknowledged. "Maybe you should go home and spend some time with your boys..."

She looked down. "I don't think that would be best..."

"Lena, your boys are hurting too...they need you...we're all trying to play 'mom,' but none of us are you..."

Lena nodded. "Okay...just let me say good-bye?"

She nodded. "Of course. And then I'll have Kinsah drive you home."

Lena stiffened. "I can drive myself..."

"No, Lena, you can't…you haven't slept well in days…I don't want to see your boys orphaned…"

"Janet...it's not that I don't like Kinsah, it's just...he's begun looking at me the way Nick used..." Tears welled up again. "Anyone else, and I would gladly accept the ride..."

"Well, I don't know if Sam's on the base..."

"That would be perfect..."

Janet nodded. "I'll check and see if she's still here and get back to you. If not, perhaps Alan could."

Lena nodded, her attention focused back on her husband. "Nick, I'm going for a little while to see Danny and Tommy, but I'll be back...I promise. Please try, darling." She whispered, her hand gripping his tightly.

Janet returned to the isolation room. "Lena, Sam isn't here, but Alan's waiting for you at the elevator."

Lena nodded before leaning down and kissing her husband's forehead. "Please...I can't lose you now...We can't lose you now..."

She returned to her upright stance, and she held his hand, almost not wanting to leave. She tried to keep the tears from welling up in her eyes again, and she released his hand with the same reluctance as was in her voice. She closed her eyes as his hand fell back to the bed, fully out of hers. Then, with her head high, she walked out of the room. It was at that time, that she fell apart.

Alan Barrows had dealt with a lot of things in his twenty-two years...but a sobbing woman had not been one of them.

Sure, he had been raised to be a gentleman by his mother, and so...he had an idea of what to do, but...this was the wife of his friend. And that friend was dying.

Lena saw his insecurity and reached for a Kleenex. "I'm sorry..." She choked out.

Making a decision, Alan stepped forward and enfolded her in a comforting hug. "Nothing to apologize for." He said quietly.

She allowed herself to lean on him on a moment before pulling away. Alan released her and followed her into the elevator. "Danny and Tommy will be glad to see you."

"I'll be glad to see them too..."

They lapsed back into silence as they continued up to the surface. She had finished crying and had wiped the tears from her eyes. "So...how're you and Rihana?" She asked, managing a smile.

Alan blushed slightly. "We're...good." He said, studying the ground intently.

"Why're you blushing?"

He shrugged. "I always do that when people ask me about girls."

She smiled sadly. "You and someone else I know..."

Guiding her over to his beat up old Ford Turino, he saw her raise an eyebrow. "Hey, as long as it still runs..."

"As long as we don't di..." She choked on her words. "As long as we get home safely. That's all that matters..."

"Exactly." He said, opening the car door for her. "I just had the brakes changed last week."

"Then, we're good."

"Yep." He agreed, climbing into his car and starting the engine. It sputtered for a minute, then roared into life. "Thank you, God." He muttered, looking heavenward.

"You know, we have a rental...we could take that." Lena said, chuckling at the young man's honest circumstance.

"Oh what, my ghetto sled ain't good enough for you?" Alan teased.

"Oh, it's fine." Lena said, a hint of a teasing gleam back in her eye. "For a sled..."

Alan pulled out of the parking lot, giving her a look of mock hurt. "See if I ever take you cruising!" He pouted.

She managed to smile. "Thank you." She said, quietly.

He returned the smile. "Not a problem." Turning slowly, Alan pulled into the O'Neill's driveway where his engine proceeded to die. "Aw man! Come on!" He groaned.

"Do you still have to get back to the base?"

"Yeah, but Bernie's just being stubborn. All I have to do is kick the tires a couple of times, then get down on my hands and knees and beg...it's a ritual." Alan joked.

"Bernie?" She asked, outright chuckling at the young man's eccentricity.

Alan grinned. "Yep. Named after my Uncle Bernie, whose toupee is the exact color of the shag carpet on the interior."

Lena shook her head. "Wow...you have quite the family, don't you?"

Alan considered this for a moment, then nodded. "Yeah...I've gotta say we're a pretty weird bunch."

Just as Lena stepped out of the car, a gaggle of kids rushed out of the house. "MUM!" She could hear her boys call.

Alan smiled, then turned his attention back to his car. "C'mon Bernie...please work." He begged.

Sam came out of the house just then, and she chuckled at the sight of Alan on his hands and knees next to his car. "I can give you a jumpstart if you need it." She said, trying to stop the staring that was occurring by the neighbors.

Alan shook his head. "Nah. Bernie doesn't take being shocked very well."

"I see."

Reaching out, Alan patted the hood of the car. "All I have to do now is kick the tires a couple of times, and it's all good."

She pulled the O'Neill children from Lena. "Okay, kids...come inside. Let's let Aunt Lena, Danny and Tommy talk."

The kids protested, but obediently followed her inside while the Kosovich family remained outside.

"Mummy, when's Daddy coming home?" Tommy asked. "Aunt Sam said you probably wouldn't come home until he was getting better!"

Danny was silent, regarding his mother with a hopeful look on his face.

Lena swallowed as she knelt down beside her boys. "Your father is...well, he's still very sick."

Tommy nodded and Danny's face fell, though he still said nothing.

"Your Uncle Raddeus and your Grandma Kosovich are going to be coming. Okay? So, I want you both to be on your best behavior."

"Okay, Mummy." Tommy said.

Danny merely nodded and Lena wondered why her eldest was so quiet. By nature, he WAS the quieter of the two, but this was worrying her.

"But no matter what happens to your father, I'm still here, and we're going to get through this, okay?"

Danny just turned around and went back into the house as Tommy gave his mother a hug. "Yes, Mummy."

There was a thump and Lena turned to see that Alan had thrown himself on top of his car. "Come on, Bernie!" He pleaded. "You can't die on me...it's not even payday!"

He got out again and dropped down onto his knees before the car. "Bernie, baby, I just put new engine oil in you last week! Come on...I have to get back to the base!"

Sam came out again, keys in hand. "Alan, why don't you just take our car?"

"I wouldn't feel right doing that."

"Look, you're having car trouble...we all have that sometimes...instead of getting a rental, you're borrowing from a friend." Sam reasoned. "It's either the car or the bike..."

Alan's eyes lit up at the mention of the bike.

She grinned and threw the keys to him. "It's in the garage."

There was a moment of silence as Alan stared at the keys in his hand.

"And...we're thinking of selling it, if you know anyone who's interested..." She said, eyeing the gleam in his eye.

Alan smiled wryly. "I've got about 200 dollars...that's how I ended up getting Bernie in the first place!" He joked.

Sam considered this, carefully. "Well, we were only hoping to get 200 dollars out of it...okay, you got it!"

He looked at her and chuckled. "Yeah right...I heard about what you did to restore that thing...It's got to be worth five times what I could put into it."

Sam could hear the note of honesty in his tone, and she looked at him seriously. "I wasn't kidding, Alan. It's yours."

He looked taken aback for a moment, and then nodded. Even though Alan wasn't in the custom of accepting charity from people, he had to have reliable transportation to get to the base.

"Thanks..." He whispered softly.

"Besides, don't you have to have something to take Rihana out tonight?"

"I could just borrow Liam's car..."

"No, you'll take the bike. Rihana will enjoy the ride."

"She probably would...that girl is wild." Alan chuckled. "Not that I mind, however!" He was quick to point out.

Sam smiled as she began humming a song that her husband and Nick often had playing in the house. "Wild Thing/You make my heart sing/You make everything groovy..."

"Oh, you DIDN'T just sing that song!" Alan said, placing his hand on his forehead in mock exasperation.

Sam merely gave him a cheeky grin.

He shook his head, chuckling. "Well...I guess I need to get back to the base."

Looking down at the key in his hand, he grinned again before heading into the garage to get the bike.

As he pulled away, Sam turned to Lena who was standing alone, as Tommy had run inside to join his brother. "Jack's gonna kill me."

Lena cracked a smile. "Well...you could always say that you didn't have the heart to disappoint the poor boy..."

"The thing is that Alan is such a great guy...he doesn't make all that much, and what little he DOES make goes to whomever is in the most dire need of help...no matter what he has to sacrifice."

"Ah, then…he's a battler." She said, almost channeling her husband for a moment, using the Australian slang.

Sam raised an eyebrow, and Lena smiled, sadly. "I'm sorry, it's the Aussie term for someone who's working really hard and only just making ends meet…" She closed her eyes in pain. "I guess Nick's rubbed off on me…"

Sam nodded in understanding as they stood silently for a moment. "Anyway, that's not why Jack's going to kill me..." Sam said, smiling as she tried to lighten the mood.

Lena arched a questioning eyebrow in her direction.

"You see, Jack wasn't even allowed to touch the bike until we got married…and he didn't get to ride it until after we were expecting Grace…"

Lena chuckled. "You two are CRAZY."

Sam shrugged as she looked back at the weary figure of her friend. "How're you holding up?"

"Well enough…"

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. I'm just worried about Danny. He seems really withdrawn."

"He is." Sam admitted. "I'm worried about him myself."

Lena took a deep breath. "He's always been particularly close to Nick..."

Sam put a reassuring hand on Lena's shoulder. "You will get through this." She promised.

Lena nodded as she looked back at the house. "Yes, I will...I have to...for the boys."


	32. The Visitation

Ria awoke to find Tony's arms around her. "Tony?" She asked, rolling over in his embrace.

"Huh?" He asked, sleepily.

She threw her arms around his neck. "I'm so glad you're here!"

"I'm glad to be here." He said, truthfully. "Now, we need to talk."

She nodded. "Where should I start? The whole "family" has been affected by these last couple of missions."

"Okay."

"On a previous mission, Kin lost his wife, but found his son. On that same mission, Liam saved General O'Neill's life, but as a result, he is being severely plagued with…"

"I talked to Cassandra."

"On the next mission, Nick fell ill. He's been battling a staph infection for the last few weeks. Lena has been wearing herself out staying by his side, while the boys are somewhat ignored. Daniel's going to be going to Denver International Airport and picking up Nick's mother and brother."

"His mother?"

She nodded. "Lena really felt that it would be important for at least one of them to get some closure if this really may be…"

She gulped back tears, and Tony put his arms around her again. "It's okay…take your time."

"Danny and Tommy…in their respective ways are grieving the loss of both of their parents. They're both worried, but…none of us know how to get through to them."

Just then, the door opened, and Lena walked in. "Oh…I'm sorry." She said, beginning to walk out again.

Before she could close the door, Tony was up and over to her. "Lena, are you okay?"

She realized that she was seeing her husband's best friend and instantly burst into tears. Just then, Tony pulled her into a comforting embrace.

"How did you know?" She asked a moment later, as she wiped her eyes.

"Ria called."

Lena walked over and gave the nurse a hug. "Thank you."

"I knew Tony would want to know. And I figured that he could help us with the boys while you're gone."

She sighed, the weight of the world on her shoulders. "I don't know what to do for them. Tommy's trying to be especially lively and out-going. Danny is so withdrawn and angry."

"Mind if I visit with them? I might be able to see something you can't." Tony offered.

"Thank you."

"But we'll leave so you can get some sleep." Ria said, a tender smile on her face. "Trust me…you'll feel like a new person."

Lena nodded, soberly. "Thank you."

--

Tony and Ria walked into the room where the boys were staying to find Tommy on the floor with Grace and Nicky playing a game of UNO while Danny sat on his bed, staring at the beginning drizzle.

"UNCLE TONY!" Tommy said, much more enthusiastically than usual as he literally jumped into the man's arms.

"Hey, kiddo! I've missed you!"

Both Grace and Nicky jumped up and hugged both Ria and Tony before Ria walked over and sat next to Danny on the bed.

"Are you okay?" She asked, gently.

"Fine." He mumbled.

"He's not playing with us!" Grace said in a huff, obviously offended by his turning down of her invitation to play with them.

"Is that true?" Tony asked, looking from the put out Grace to the depressed Danny.

"Maybe."

Grace rolled her eyes and walked out of the room to find her mother. As she went down the hall, everyone could hear her very dramatic exclamation of: "BOYS!"

"Nicky, why don't you follow your sister." Tony said, looking at the three-year-old, still holding onto the older man's pants, his eyes wide with exhilaration at seeing him again.

"Okay." He said, running after his sister with a hearty "Gracie, wait for me!"

Ria and Tony chuckled quietly before returning their attention to the Kosovich children. "So…what's really going on?" Ria asked, pulling Danny from his place at the window onto her lap.

He would have put up some kind of struggle, except that he was so depressed that he wasn't interested in exuding any kind of energy. While this worried the Dovolanis, Tony brought Tommy over, still in his arms, and sat on the bed next to Ria, Tommy sitting on Tony's lap like Danny sat on Ria's.

They almost expected Tommy to excitedly tell them that nothing was wrong, but he surprised them by sobering. "I miss my Dad." He admitted, taking a deep and profound breath.

Tony held the young boy close. "I know."

Ria turned to Danny. Over the last few weeks, she had developed a special bond with the young boy. "Is that what's wrong, Danny? Do you miss your dad?"

"Leave me alone!" He shouted, jumping off Ria's lap and running to the basement.

Ria took a deep breath and looked at her husband. Then, they both looked toward the door where a weary Lena stood, unable to get a decent amount of rest with the turmoil in her soul.

She bit her lip as she looked at her other son, running with his arms outstretched. "Mum!"

"Tommy!" She cried, kneeling and giving the young boy a hug.

"I missed you." He said, fiercely.

"I missed you too." She said, burrowing the boy in a large hug.

Just as he pulled away, he asked the question she had been dreading. "Is Daddy going to die?"

"I don't know." She admitted, vulnerably. "But I'm going back to the infirmary to see what Aunt Janet has to tell me…"

Ria and Tony nodded in understanding while they watched Tommy's reaction.

"Why can't you just stay here?"

"Because, sweetheart, your dad needs someone to help him remember that he's strong, and that he can get better."

"Why can't I go?"

Lena's headache from not having enough sleep and the toll of the general stress on her made her less patient than normal. "Because you're not big enough." She said, taking deep breaths. "Now, I've got to go."

The little boy looked at his mother, heartbroken before following his brother down the stairs. Lena felt like the world's most awful mother. She pinched the bridge of her nose. "I…I didn't mean…"

"Don't worry about it, Lena." Ria said, realizing that Lena probably needed to be with Nick more than he needed her to be with him. "I have an idea that might help the boys. We'll handle it from here."

"Thank you." She said, giving a tired smile to the couple.

"You're welcome."

As she left, Tony turned to his wife. "What's your brilliant plan?"

"I'm going to call Janet. I think the boys need to see Nick, and Lena needs to be there with him more than he needs her, but her boys need her too. I think if we put them both there, we'll kill several birds with one stone."

Tony smiled as he pulled his wife into his arms. "You're amazing, you know that?"

She sighed. "Maybe not amazing, but…I'm not too shabby…"

Tony kissed her nose. "You're amazing." He said, firmly.

--

"Janet Fraiser." Janet answered as the phone in her office rang. She had been so tired that she had fallen asleep on duty, something that never happened, but that the rest of the staff understood. Nick Kosovich was steadily getting worse, and she was working round the clock to help him get well again.

"Janet, it's me, Ria."

"Ria! Did Tony arrive safely?"

"Yes, he did. Thank heavens for that."

"Definitely. What can I help you with?"

"I have a few visitors for Nick. But two of them are small, and none of them have the right clearance."

"Tony, Tommy and Danny…" Janet guessed.

"You got it."

Janet sighed. Though she had not handled their immediate care, she had heard from Daniel that they weren't doing well without their parents. She took a deep breath. "I'll talk to General O'Neill. I'll give you a call, and…we'll see."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome."

--

Nearly two hours later, as Lena read a book to her comatose husband, she was approached by four figures: Tony and Ria Dovolani, and her sons, Tommy and Danny. Before announcing their presences, however, she heard three gasps coming from the three strangers to the infirmary scene. She turned to find them behind her. "What's going on?" She asked in her surprise.

Without answering her questions, Lena was bombarded with the bodies of her six-year-old sons. As she hugged her sons, fiercely, she turned a slightly bewildered look toward Ria and Tony. "You all need each other…no matter what your conditions." Ria said, quietly while Tony still took in the sight of his invalid friend.

Lena nodded as she turned back to her sons. "Boys…do you want to say hello to your dad?"

"How?" Came Danny's inquisitive mind.

Hearing her son's voice returned a little hope to her breast as she took another deep breath. "Just talk. Like you would normally…"

Danny walked over to the bedside of his father. Taking one large hand in his, he cleared his throat. "Hi, Daddy."

When there was no response, he turned to his mother who, while holding Tommy on her lap, nudged him to continue. "I…miss you." He said, quietly, tears slipping down his cheeks.

Lena now had tears streaming down her cheeks as well, and she bit back racking sobs as Tommy soberly got off of her lap. "Daddy?"

There was no answer, but having seen his older brother speak to their father, he was determined that he could do this. "Daddy, I…mummy misses you." He said, stumbling over his words. "And we miss both of you, so…get better, so…you and mummy can come home." He said, crying.

Janet Fraiser and Jack O'Neill had just entered the room, and everyone was wiping tears from their eyes as they watched the touching display.

Finally, Lena stood, guiding her sons toward the door. "Give me a minute, and then, you and I will go and get some dinner and Uncle Tony will take you home, okay?"

"And Aunt Ria!" Tommy added.

"Sorry, Tommy…I'm going to stay here to try and take care of your daddy." She said, kneeling to his level.

He pursed his lips to the side, as if thinking about whether or not he approved. Finally, he gave a solemn head nod, eerily reminiscent of his twin's precocious sobriety. "I guess that's okay."

Lena hurried back to Nick, whispering something in his ear, as she ran her fingers through his hair. Then, she returned tear-stained cheeks back to her sons. "Let's go."

"I'll stay with him." Tony offered.

"Thank you." Lena smiled.

"No need to thank me." Tony said, shrugging. "He's practically the brother I never thought I'd get."

Lena nodded before she whispered. "Take care of him…"

"I will." He said, quietly.

The Kosoviches walked out of the room, toward the commissary, while Ria put her arms around her husband quickly. "Are you okay?"

He nodded. "I'll be fine. It's just…I didn't think he'd be this…"

"I know." She whispered, her arm wrapped around his waist as they looked at the invalid dancer.

He kissed her. "You've got to get back to work, right?"

"Yeah…"

"When're you going to be back?"

"Sometime tomorrow…"

"I'll miss you." He whispered. "Just like I've missed you since I went back to New York."

"You can't have missed me as much as I missed you." She said, soberly.

He kissed her again. "I guess absence really does make the heart grow fonder."

She smiled. "It must."

He held her for another moment before she pulled away, reluctantly. "I have to go…"

"I know."

She kissed him quickly. "Të fala."

He grinned. "Kohë."

"Fine…you win…" She turned away in mock indignation.

He came up behind her, his breath on her neck while his arms snaked around her waist. "Like I said, I missed you."

She swallowed. "I've…I've got to go."

"Then, I'll have no choice but to wait for your return."

She smiled. "I should be off in twelve hours…"

"I'll come and pick you up."

She walked off, and Tony returned his focus to his friend on the bed.

He sat down, quietly, not knowing what to do exactly. "Well, Nick…I suppose it shouldn't come as a surprise that I'm back…" He studied the emaciation that had taken place. Nick had lost some weight and color. "You know, you really don't look so good…"

He sighed. "I don't really know if you can hear me at all…but…I'll give you a bit of an update on your family. Danny and Tommy are…well, they're not acting like themselves, and I'm not entirely sure that even they are sure why. But I know why…they miss you. And they miss Lena…she's here every day, watching over you…afraid that she'll miss something, and so, the boys have lost both of their parents, however temporarily, and it's really hard for them. That's why Ria said we should bring them to the infirmary. Nick, I'm going to bring them everyday…I'm going to do for them what we both wish that our mothers had done for us when our fathers were sick…" Tony swallowed down the lump in his throat.

"Anyway…you know how Lena is…she's utterly exhausted, but she's trying not to let anyone know it." He paused, quietly. "She doesn't want anyone to know it, but she's dying inside…Don't hurt her like this…"

Ria returned, dressed in her nurse's uniform with a clipboard in one hand. She approached Tony. " I'm sorry to interrupt…"

"You're fine." He said, soberly, though there were quite a few things he could have said to pull a laugh from her at that moment.

It broke her heart to see him like this, but she had a job to do, and she needed to do it.

Tony patted Nick's shoulder, wishing that he could help heal the man, as a feeling, almost of an electrical shock passed through him to the invalid man. The feeling was so strong, that Tony wavered in weakness. Ria watched him, studiously. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." He said, quickly returning to his original state of health. I…I'm going to find Lena and the boys."

"General O'Neill is just outside, talking to Dr. Fraiser. Maybe he would escort you up there."

"Thanks."

She gave her husband a small smile. "You're welcome."


	33. Arrivals

"SG-4's post-mission tests came back. They're all in perfect health." Janet said, dutifully.

"And Siler?"

"Will be fine in a day or so. As usual, he got a nasty shock to his system. It's nothing to worry about."

"And Dr. Martin from SG-8?"

"Should be ready for active duty in another few days."

Both paused before discussing the last patient in the infirmary.

"Dr. Kosovich still shows no change." Janet finally spoke up.

Jack nodded. "And Lena?"

"Still here…she just took the boys to the commissary for some dinner." Tony said, walking toward them.

They both turned, surprised and yet not surprised to see the Albanian there. "Tony!" Jack greeted.

"Jack."

"Ria suggested that you could help me to the commissary to find Lena and the boys."

"Once I'm finished with Dr. Fraiser, I would be glad to." Jack said, giving a succinct nod.

"Thanks. And, I'm sorry for interrupting."

"You're fine, Tony. We just finished." Janet assured. "General O'Neill, I'll get the latest reports on your desk ASAP."

"Thank you, Doc."

She gave a tiny smile as she walked toward the isolation room that Tony had just vacated.

"So, Tony…back in town, huh?"

"Yes. Ria called and told me about Nick. I thought I'd come and support the family."

Jack nodded, leaning heavily on the crutch he used to support his broken leg. "She says I can walk on my leg, but even with the crutch, it hurts like hell." Jack muttered as they got to the elevator.

"How badly broken was it?"

"Well, it's been about five weeks since I initially broke my femur in four places. This is the first broken bone that required reconstructive surgery."

Tony winced.

"Yeah…and believe me, I've had my share of broken bones."

"How many?"

"Before this? Seven if you count skull fractures."

"Skull fractures?"

"Yeah. My chute opened a little late."

"Ouch."

"Yeah…but I've only been as sick as Nick once…"

"When was that?"

"A few years ago. I had cerebral meningitis."

"Whoa."

"Yeah…we used some experimental medical technology, and I managed to pull through."

"Impressive."

"Yeah, Doc Fraiser's too modest to say anything, but she's a genius. Put her with my wife, and they can solve anything."

Tony gave a tiny smile as they walked into the commissary. They walked up to the table that Lena shared with the boys. "Hi, Lena."

"Tony…did something happen?" Lena asked, almost about to stand up in worry.

"No, Ria just needed to check his vitals…"

She started breathing fairly normally again. "Thanks."

"Why don't we get some food and come and join you?" Jack asked, quickly.

"That'd be nice." Lena said, playing with the mashed potatoes on her plate much like both of her sons.

Tony looked at Jack, a look of worry passing over his face as the older man motioned for him to join him in the line at the commissary.

"I know how to make anybody eat." Jack said with a wry smile.

"You do?"

"Of course." He said, before seeing one of his friends on the kitchen staff. "Georgette?"

"General O'Neill!"

"I have some friends who could use some chocolate cake. You wouldn't happen to have a couple pieces lying around?"

She gave him a sly smile. "How many pieces are you looking for?"

"Five."

"Five?"

"Hey, this time I really do have friends who want them…"

She grinned. "Give me about fifteen minutes. I just took another cake out of the oven a few minutes ago…it's cooling now."

"Thanks, Georgette!"

"You're welcome, sir."

"Keep up the good work." He said with a smile.

He and Tony walked past, picking up their trays and retrieving their roast beef, mashed potatoes, gravy and corn.

They walked over to the table where the Kosoviches sat, looking forlorn. "If you all eat your dinner, I have a surprise for you!" Jack said as if he was talking to his own kids.

All three managed to look up, interestedly.

"I have a friend who makes the best chocolate cake you've ever eaten! But you've got to finish your dinner before you can even smell it!"

Tommy began eating his dinner as quickly as he could without making himself sick, while Danny looked at his food and unwillingly took a few more bites of it. Lena watched the magic that Jack had just initiated and, like her son, took a few more bites of the "home-cooked" meal.

By the time that Georgette brought the pieces of cake out to the table, Lena and Danny were only a few bites away from being finished while Tommy had been waiting patiently for the dessert.

"Folks, meet one of the best cake-makers in the world!" Jack said, standing up and putting his arm around Georgette's shoulders. "Georgette Jacobs."

She blushed. "Thank you."

"Georgette, meet Tony Dovolani, Lena Kosovich and her sons, Thomas and Daniel."

"Nice to meet you." Lena said, politely. "Thank you for making the cake."

"There's only one man who can get me make this much cake…" She teased. "And that's the man who signs my paycheck."

Jack grinned. "I knew there was a reason I wanted to be 'the man'."

Despite the seriousness of their circumstances, Lena, Tony and the boys joined in his chuckling.

--

__

Tony's visit had been strange to Nick. Not only had he been reminded of how much like brothers they were, he was strangely touched. And not only in the emotional way that the word could be used, but also physically. Something had changed within him. As if something was on its way to recovery. But the warning was quite clear to Nick: at this point, he would only be healed if he actively worked toward the healing taking place.

That was something he wasn't sure he wanted. But he didn't want to hurt Lena or his boys, so…he would look for something…something that could help him make his decision.

In the distance, he saw the ocean. He'd always been able to think near the ocean. Slowly, he made his feverish trek to the flowing water.

--

Ria took the results from Nick's vital signs back to Janet, awestruck.

"Janet?"

"Ria."

"I think you should look at this."

She looked at Ria as if to discern what the news would be as she accepted the chart.

Ria's facial expression didn't change as Janet turned her eyes to the chart. She gasped in surprise. "How is this possible?"

"Honestly, ma'am? I have no idea."

"His vitals are just returning to normal because he's willing them to? I'm sorry, Ria, I've seen a lot of things in my life and especially in my career here, but…a man that sick does not begin getting well just because he thinks he wants to. Especially not if the man has the same amount to live for than he left at the beginning of his illness."

Ria shrugged. "I don't know how to explain it otherwise. Unless you take into consideration the fact that Tony touched him…"

"What? Now, Tony's an Ancient?"

"I know it sounds crazy."

Janet sighed. "Crazy, I could handle. But this…unless something else comes up, I don't recommend running any tests."

"But if he's an Ancient…" Ria began, knowing that this could mean a lot for the program.

"He will be captured by the Trust and experimented on."

Ria's blood chilled. "Yes, ma'am." She said, realizing that Janet knew exactly what she was talking about.

"Now, as far as we're concerned, this is a freak accident…enough of them happen around here…" She said, wryly.

Ria nodded.

"And, we're going to keep this under wraps until we know for sure that this isn't just a fluke in the equipment."

Again, she nodded, grateful that Janet had her husband's best interests at heart. The possibility of having married an Ancient made her a little nervous. Especially with all of the problems that Janet had just mentioned.

Suddenly, she wished very diligently that her husband was as normal as they came. The Trust aside, she did not want to be like Lena, the woman waiting for her husband to awaken from a coma. A shudder overcame her. Somehow, she wasn't sure that she'd be spared that experience.

--

Daniel sat at the Denver International Airport Terminal, awaiting Marie and Raddeus Kosovich's flight. His cell phone was in his hands so that he could receive the latest updates to pass onto the family.

He had seen the look on Janet's face after her shift yesterday, and it was the look she wore when she was weary...when she knew she couldn't do anything more to help her patient.

He had known then that Nick wasn't doing very well...in fact, he had known almost immediately that Nick was doing VERY poorly. She'd stayed around the house to catch a moment of rest, only to leave an hour later, to return to care for the invalid ethnomusicologist and dancer.

A tall man, followed by a gray-haired woman stepped out of the gate area. Daniel could see almost immediately the Kosovich resemblance and approached him. "Raddeus Kosovich?"

"Yes?" Raddeus asked, recognizing the man who had approached them as one of Jonathan and Samantha's friends.

"I'm Dr. Daniel Jackson. Lena sent me."

He nodded. "Dr. Jackson, this is my mother, Marie Kosovich."

Daniel gave a slight bow. "Mrs. Kosovich."

"Dr. Jackson." She greeted. "How is Nicholas?"

Daniel held up his silent cell phone. "Last night, he was still very feverish and delirious, but I haven't received any updates saying he's worse off..."

"No news is good news, Mum." Raddeus said, putting his arm around her.

She nodded. "May we see him?"

"Of course." Daniel said, reaching for the small bag in Marie's hand. "If you'll follow me, we'll go to my car and be on our way."


	34. Shifting Inbetween

Lena was back at her post, nervously awaiting her first meeting with her mother-in-law. She felt foolish that this was so nerve-wracking for her, but Nick wasn't going to be conscious to smooth the awkwardness of the meeting.

Ria approached, bringing with her a tray. "Lena?"

She looked up, somewhat blearily. "Yes?"

"Janet said you should eat something."

Lena nodded, accepting the tray. "Thank you."

As she numbly began eating the tuna fish sandwich, she realized that Janet had been in the infirmary every time that she, herself, had been there. And Lena had been pulling nearly 24-hour shifts at Nick's side.

Just then, Janet walked by, chart in hand to check on Nick's vital signs.

"Janet, are you getting any sleep?" Lena asked, genuinely concerned for her friend's welfare.

She smiled, her exhaustion evident. "Don't worry about me, Lena."

"And yet, you worry about me." Lena said, raising the half-eaten sandwich for Janet to see.

"I'm a doctor, that's my prerogative."

"Janet..." Lena warned.

Janet looked at the sick man. "I can't sleep when I can't do anything for my patients, Lena...so I might as well be here to care for them..."

Lena opened her mouth to say something, but just then, she heard footsteps hurry into the room. She turned to find Daniel escorting Raddeus and Marie inside.

Both gasped at the sight of the ill Nick, and Lena hurried over. "Thank you for coming so quickly."

Raddeus pulled his sister-in-law into a hug. "No need to thank us."

She nodded as she pulled away, looking at the older woman to his left. "Mrs. Kosovich." She said, formally as she extended her hand in greeting.

"It's Marie." The woman corrected. "And you must be Elena."

Lena nodded. "You can call me Lena…"

Raddeus gave a half-hearted chuckle. "She's not big into nicknames…so I have a feeling that it will get a little confusing with all of the kids named after all the adults…"

Lena looked at him, questioningly.

"Sorry…Sariah and the boys will be coming in a few days."

She nodded. "Then I hope there will be four Nicholases at that time…"

"Four?" He asked, surprised.

She nodded. "There's Nick, and then his three name-sakes: your son, the O'Neills' son, and another family friend's son."

Raddeus nodded before he noticed her weariness. "Why don't I sit with Nick while you and Mum get a cup of coffee…"

Lena was so numb at this point that she nodded. "Just a moment…" She said, returning to Nick.

As she quietly explained that she would be right back, Marie turned to her eldest son. "She's saying good-bye now so that if she doesn't get the chance she doesn't have any regrets."

Her knowing tone was not lost on Raddeus. "Mum?"

She swallowed her emotion. "He looks so much like your father…" She said, simply.

Raddeus didn't react, realizing that this was a moment for his mother to deal with three tragedies in her life: the death of her husband, the death of her youngest son, and the estrangement of her middle son. He only hoped that the third would be reconciled before she had to deal with a fourth: the death of that estranged son.

Lena returned. "I'm ready to go."

"I'll take good care of him." Raddeus said with a supportive smile.

"You always have." Lena responded, acknowledging Raddeus's role as the bridge between Nick and his mother.

The Australian swallowed down his emotion. No one, not even his mother and brother, had ever realized the burden that they had placed upon him with their rift. And to have someone acknowledge that fact lifted a measure of that burden that he had patiently borne for these twenty years.

Lena and Marie walked to the commissary where both got a cup of coffee. They sat at a table, and Lena numbly stirred some sugar into the bitter liquid as it cooled.

"How're you holding up, dear?"

Lena shrugged. "I'm all right…"

"But you haven't slept since Nicholas fell ill, have you?"

Lena shook her head, somewhat surprised that the older woman could read her so easily.

"I know…it's hard to be a mother to your boys at the same time that you're trying to care for your husband."

Lena looked up from her coffee, wordlessly.

"My husband, Evan, died when Nicholas was eleven years old."

Lena nodded, having heard this much from Nick.

"He was very ill, and for the longest time, none of the doctors could tell me what was going on…at any rate, for nearly a month, I divided my time between my three sons and my ailing husband."

"That story sounds familiar." Lena breathed as she took a sip of her coffee.

"At any rate, it seemed as though Evan was starting to return to his previous vitality, but just as I started to take a breath of relief, he suffered a heart attack. He died that day."

Lena allowed her eyes to close as she absorbed the story. "And less than a year later, you lost Thomas."

Marie nodded. "Our family really started to fall apart when Evan passed away. Nicholas had been a very outgoing child, but after Evan's death, he became more reserved, and after Thomas's accident…" Marie took a deep breath to help to control her emotions. "I would only get a word or two a day if I was fortunate. In fact, I think the one time that he said more than that to me was when he returned home past curfew when he was sixteen…"

Marie smiled wistfully. "We had quite the blue…and that's the last time that I spoke to him…with him…"

Lena thought back to the many rows they'd had with one another…he'd always gotten painfully quiet and pulled away from her. Obviously, that had been something that had been second-nature to him, and in the sorrow of grief, it had created an almost irreparable rift between Nick and his mother.

Suddenly, Lena had an idea. She reached into her pocket…she'd come prepared with photos for this occasion. "Do you want to see some pictures of the boys?"

Marie nodded. "I would love to."

Lena showed her the latest family picture, and Marie was taken aback by how much like his father and grandfather, young Daniel Evan looked. "This is Daniel?"

Lena nodded, surprised that she knew the names of the boys.

"Raddeus has shown me a few photographs and described them fairly well for me…" She explained.

"Ah."

Before she could show the next photograph, Kinsah and his son, Nik'las, approached the table.

"Kinsah!" Lena greeted, warmly, though with some reservation. "Nik'las!"

"Lena, do you mind if we sit with you and…" He finally caught a glimpse of the visitor and he paled. "Mum…"

The term had rolled off his tongue as naturally as if Nick had said it, and he heard Marie gasp in surprise. He turned back to Lena and bowed almost submissively. "I'll see you around the base, I'm sure…" He said, before dragging Nik'las toward the exit of the cafeteria.

Marie was so stunned that she just looked at Lena wordlessly.

"Let me see if I can't get you a decent explanation." Lena said, standing.

--

__

He stood on the edge of a precipice, the salt air of the ocean rolling over him. How he missed that smell! It triggered images of seaside picnics from before his father's death, Raddeus, Thomas and himself frolicking in the sea, before Mum stopped them and told them to get back to land if they wanted their cut lunches. They would protest and go back to eat their vegemite sandwiches and wait for nearly an hour after eating, for their lunch to settle before they could go back to the ocean to play.

He watched his prematurely ended childhood for a few moments. Half of the people who had been there were already dead…so…no one would really miss him if he casually slipped off the wet rock of the ledge…

The fledgling thought took root as he imagined falling off the cliff…as a kid, he'd always wanted fly…

He spread his arms as though they were wings and closed his eyes…

"Nick…"

__

His eyes opened as he heard his brother's voice. "Raddeus?"

"Nick, I don't know if you can hear me…"

__

"What?"

"I…Nick, I've never been any good at this…"

__

Nick didn't turn; just listened to his brother's pleadings.

"Lena…she needs you…I mean, she's been staying by your side for weeks…she's hardly slept, she's wearing herself out…"

__

Nick swallowed down tears for his grieving wife.

"But…I guess on a more self-interested level…I have my own motives for wanting you to stick around…"

__

He detected a tiny chuckle in his brother's voice, didn't he?

"Nick, please don't leave me as an only child." He whispered, vulnerably.

__

This rocked Nick. Raddeus hadn't been chuckling, he had been choking on his unshed tears…Raddeus didn't cry…he hadn't cried when their father died or when Thomas died…there had been no emotion from the soldier. But…now, Raddeus was crying?

He looked at the jagged rocks below again. Somehow, they looked less and less inviting. He had let down his mother and his younger brother. He would never let down his older brother…especially since the older man had sacrificed so much to protect him in various ways. No…he wouldn't hurt his brother like this…

He turned to find a withering plant in the distance, surrounded by all of the people he cared for most: his wife, his sons, Kinsah, little Nik'las, Alan, Rihana, Tony, Ria, Jesse, Janet, Daniel and Michael, the O'Neills, Cassandra, Liam, Raddeus and his family, his mother, his father and Thomas. He took a deep breath and began his pilgrimage to save his own life. "Hold on, Raddy…I'm coming…"


	35. Second Chances

Marie stood at the door of the isolation room, having heard every word that Raddeus had uttered. She had underestimated her eldest. He had selflessly given everything he'd had to try and patch up the relationships in the broken family. Suddenly, she realized that he had grown up almost more quickly than even Nicholas. Raddeus had taken his father's deathbed instructions to heart and had quickly become the "Man of the House." And now she could see that it had taken its toll on his own emotional health.

Her thoughts returned to her dying son. She had just had the chance to talk with the young man who had received some kind of transplant from Nicholas and become very close to him…currently Daniel Jackson was off trying to get "clearance" for her to learn what had actually happened to her son.

Lena stood silently beside her, too overcome with emotion to speak. But she didn't need to. Raddeus looked over, his eyes moist and nodded. He patted Nick's hand, whispering a quick good-bye as he walked over to the women. "So…back already?"

Lena swallowed and nodded. Raddeus noticed the tears in her eyes and correctly surmised that she had heard his one-sided exchange with his brother. He coughed, quickly deciding not to mention his words. "I think I'm going to see if I can go and see the boys."

Lena walked over to resume her post, but Marie stopped her before she got that far. "Do you mind if I have a go?"

Lena was torn. She wanted to stay with her husband, but he and his mother both needed this closure. Especially if the end was near. She nodded. "I'll go with Raddeus…"

"Thank you." Marie said, a sad smile on her face. "But I should only need a minute…"

"Mum…" The delirious man on the bed cried.

Lena swallowed back tears and looked her mother-in-law in the eye. "You spend as much time with him as you need to."

Marie simply nodded.

--

_The train was back…the whistle pierced through the fog in his mind…the last thing he remembered was that he was trying to get back to his family…and now…the train was back._

_There was Thomas, playing on the tracks…the giant locomotive wasn't stopping, and Nick watched in horror as the train hit the boy, almost paralyzed from his feelings. His legs felt like slabs of rock that were cemented to the ground, making it impossible for him to move. That feeling slowly climbed over his whole body. His harsh whisper was the last thing he remembered before the darkness covered his mind as well…_

_"Thomas…"_

--

Lena was walking up to the surface to head home for a little while, but she and Raddeus were stopped by Jack O'Neill. "Lena?" He asked, the look in his eyes unreadable.

"Yes?"

"I need to have a word with Raddeus and Marie Kosovich about the Program."

She nodded. "I'll sit with Nick while Marie comes…" She whispered, meekly as she turned back to the isolation room.

Raddeus hung back and stood with Jack. "How're you, Jonathan?"

The General heaved a sigh. "Well enough…"

"You seem to have been promoted since I've spoken to you last." He said, trying to lighten the mood.

Jack smiled, wanly. "Yes…Brigadier General."

"Congratulations."

"Thank you."

"So…this is your base?"

"Yes."

As an Australian Air Force officer, Raddeus knew enough to know that this was a top-secret facility…any facility hidden twenty-eight floors underground had to be classified top-secret. "Well…they couldn't have a better man heading this project." He said, honestly.

Jack looked at him gravely as he walked toward the isolation room that Lena had ducked into. "Yes, Raddeus, they could…"

--

Marie sat, holding her son's hand. "Nicholas, I…I don't even know how to begin this." She looked at his pale face, and took a breath. "Well, actually, I suppose I do know how to begin this…Nicholas, I have made a terrible mistake…I…but I don't even know what happened…Son, I know that as a parent, I should have known what to do, but…as a person, I…I didn't know…"

She felt tears slip down her cheeks.

"After your father died, I couldn't reach you anymore, Nicholas. I knew you were hurting, but…you wouldn't talk to me anymore. The only way I learned anything about you after that was through Raddeus, and…that wasn't a fair burden to place on his shoulders…by either of us…"

There was another quiet moment as she swallowed more tears. "Nicholas, I'm sorry. I'm sorry I let your silence keep me from reaching out to you."

Lena touched the older woman on the shoulder, tears shining in her eyes. "I'm sorry, Marie, but…General O'Neill needs to have a word with you…"

She turned to find the official-looking man, wearing dress blues, at the side of her eldest son in the doorway. "Thank you." She said, wiping her own tears from her eyes.

She stood and walked away as Lena took her place back at her husband's side. She could hear some introductory chatter come from the hallway as she took Nick's hand back into her own. "Don't be angry with me, Darling." She whispered. "You were calling for her…and…" She choked on her tears. "It was time."

There was no response from the man, and Lena found herself wishing that he would just say something…anything…even that he was so enraged with her that he could never look at her again…because if he was alert enough to say that, she would know that he would be all right.

She pulled his hand up to her face and let its softness caress her skin, tears running silently down her cheeks. "I love you, Darling…and I want you with me, but I don't want you to suffer, so…if it's time for you to go…I understand." She whispered, her heart breaking with each word.

--

Sitting at his desk, Jack rose as Raddeus and Marie Kosovich walked into the room. "Hello...please, have a seat." he invited.

"Thank you." They said almost in unison, gratitude clearly in their tones.

As he took his own chair, he folded his hands in front of him. "What I'm about to tell you will probably be unbelieveable...and most likely sound like I'm smoking crack but I swear it's all true."

Marie's eyebrow went up in skepticism, but her face continued to look absolutely concerned for her son's welfare.

Jack took a deep breath. "We travel to other planets through a device known as a Stargate."

"Other planets." Raddeus said, skeptically.

"Other planets in our galaxy, anyway."

Marie just stared at the Air Force general.

"Look...come with me." Jack invited, standing up and coming out from behind his desk. "I have something to show you."

"I'm not sure I want to see anything you want to show me." She said, somewhat seriously.

"It'll go a long way toward helping me explain what happened to Nick."

She stood, but not without a rather drawn out inhale and exhale.

Leading them down the halls, Jack stopped in the control room and watched as the gate opened and SG6 came back.

Marie's eyes widened.

"Welcome back, SG6." Jack said into the microphone. They waved before heading out of the gate room. "That's the Stargate...SG6 just got back from a mission off-world."

"I see."

He walked them through the dialing system and explained the history of the program before looking at them. "Nick...was injured off-world."

"He's a dancer. What was he doing on another planet?"

"He has an ethnomusicology degree and a doctorate...we encountered a group of people whose main form of communication was dance."

"You took a civilian into a military operation?" Raddeus asked, his gaze hardening.

"We needed to make contact with these people...there "warriors" were a bunch of kids with bows and arrows. We didn't bring Nick in until we'd tried to establish communication with them and they knew we wouldn't hurt them."

"Which is why he's in a hospital bed right now." Raddeus said, raising an eyebrow.

"This was the third time he'd been back...a Goa'uld had taken over their world in the 6 years it had been since we'd made contact with Kinsah."

"He's been doing this for six YEARS?" Raddeus asked, narrowing his gaze.

"No. It was a one-time deal until Kinsah came through the gate with his sister. He'd almost been beaten to death and Rihana would speak with no one but Nick."

"Great."

"We called him and he came out. A Goa'uld named Aten had taken over Kinsah's homeworld and kidnapped his wife Sauna and his son Nik'las."

"Nik'las?" Raddeus asked with a small hint of a smile.

"Kinsah thought it appropriate." Jack replied, his own small smile creeping out.

"So Nick went rushing headlong without thinking...as usual." Raddeus sighed.

"And you never did?" Marie asked, raising an eyebrow. Her elder son considered this for a moment, then nodded. "I guess I'll have to conceede that one, Mother."

"At any rate...that's what happened." Jack sighed.

Both of them nodded, trying to absorb everything they'd just been told. "Is he going to die?" Raddeus asked, his voice quiet.

"We really don't know...which is why we called you. We don't know how everything's going to end up."

"Can we go back? I think Elena could use some support." Marie declared.

"Sure. I'll show you back." Jack agreed, leading them back to the infirmary where Raddeus and Marie took their places next to Nick's grieving wife.

--

**_"Nicholas, I'm sorry. I'm sorry I let your silence keep me from reaching out to you."_**

**_"Nick, don't leave me as an only child." _**

**_"I love you, Darling…and I want you with me, but I don't want you to suffer, so…if it's time for you to go…I understand."_**

_The sentences whirled around in his mind with feverish intensity. He couldn't make sense of them…who had said each of them? His mind was so hazy…it would be easy just to let go, but these were people who loved him…who wanted to see him alive and well…_

_Not very far in the distance, he could see the withering plant…there were no more leaves on it, and the stocky stem was starting to bend. Everyone that had been around it previously was now looking at the plant, a sadness in their eyes that was reserved for the mourners of the prematurely dead. Each of the mourners was someone particularly close to him._

_Suddenly, it dawned on him. HE was the plant. He was slowly dying, and they were resigning themselves to his early departure from the Land of the Living._

_He ran to the plant, feeling the rays of the hot Australian sun on his back, mocking him for trying to keep the inevitable from happening. He managed to reach the gathering, breathless from his long run. As he saw the looks of despair on the faces of his wife and sons, he knew that no matter what were to happen with his relationship with his mother, good, bad or ugly, it would never compare to the pain he would feel if he saw those looks on the faces of his young family._

_"Lena, I'm here!" He cried, putting his arms around her. "I'm not leaving!"_

_She didn't seem to hear him, and he became more aggravated as he went around the circle, trying to get someone to notice his existence._

_As he reached the members of his family who were already dead, his father and brother, he turned to look at the tree…it was in even worse shape._

_"What do I do?" He asked, almost begging for his life._

_"Tend the plant." Evan said, watching over the proceedings much as he had done while he'd been alive._

_Nick's eyes widened. "That's all I have to do?"_

_"No…" Thomas interjected. "After the plant is restored, you have to prove that you were worthy of this second chance…"_

_"How do I do that?"_

_"Speak to your mother." Evan said, placing a supportive hand on his son's shoulder. "She's hurting too."_

_Nick nodded. "Anything."_

_He knelt beside the emaciated plant. He pulled away the dead leaves and debris. This was how he began to carefully tend the plant. It was his last hope of staying with his family._


End file.
